Ecclesiastes 8:1 BSB

Ecclesiastes 8:1

Who is like the wise man? Who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom brightens his face, and the sternness of his face is changed.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.

KJV

Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.

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Commentary

3 voices

Jerome

Commentary on Ecclesiastes (420)

"Who is like the wise man? And who knows what things mean? A man's wisdom lights up his face, and the boldness of his face is transformed. "He had taught above that it is hard to find a good man, and he had answered the question to the contrary, saying that men are made good by God, but that they fall into sin because of their own free will.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

John Gill

1697–1771

Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763)

Who is as the wise man?.... Who is as the first man, that was made upright, and was a wise man? not one of his sons. Or who is as the wise man, meaning himself? no man; he was the wisest of men; and yet he could not find out wisdom, and the reason of things, and the wickedness of folly, Ecc 7:25; how therefore should any other man? what can the man do that comes after the king?

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Albert Barnes

1798–1870

Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)

And who - Rather, and as he who knoweth. The possessor of wisdom excels other people: it imparts serenity to his countenance, and removes the expression of gloom or fierceness (see the marginal reference).

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

13 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
מִ֚י	mi	who?	H4310 →
כְּהֶ֣חָכָ֔ם	ke.He.cha.Kham	[is] like the wise [person]	H2450 →
וּמִ֥י	u.Mi	and who?	H4310 →
יוֹדֵ֖עַ	yo.De.a'	[is] knowing	H3045 →
פֵּ֣שֶׁר	Pe.sher	[the] interpretation of	H6592 →
דָּבָ֑ר	da.Var	a matter	H1697 →
חָכְמַ֤ת	cha.khe.Mat	[the] wisdom of	H2451 →
אָדָם֙	'a.Dam	anyone	H120 →
תָּאִ֣יר	ta.'Ir	it makes shine	H215 →
פָּנָ֔יו	pa.Nav	face his	H6440 →
וְעֹ֥ז	ve.'Oz	and [the] strength of	H5797 →
פָּנָ֖יו	pa.Nav	face his	H6440 →
יְשֻׁנֶּֽא׃	ye.shu.Ne'	it is changed	H8132 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Acts 6:15
All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
leads to
- Matthew 13:43
  Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
- Exodus 34:29–35
  And when Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands, he was unaware that his face had become radiant from speaking with the LORD.
- Matthew 17:2
  There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.
Through
Deuteronomy 28:50
a ruthless nation with no respect for the old and no pity for the young.
leads to
- Isaiah 47:6
  I was angry with My people; I profaned My heritage, and I placed them under your control. You showed them no mercy; even on the elderly you laid a most heavy yoke.
Through
Job 33:23
Yet if there is a messenger on his side, one mediator in a thousand, to tell a man what is right for him,
leads to
- Malachi 3:1
  “Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He…
- Ecclesiastes 7:28
  While my soul was still searching but not finding, among a thousand I have found one upright man, but among all these I have not found one such woman.
- 2 Corinthians 5:20
  Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God.
- Malachi 2:7
  For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the LORD of Hosts.

About Ecclesiastes

King Solomon in Old Age — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain

Ecclesiastes: the study guide →Read chapter 8 →The featured study →

Continue: Ecclesiastes 8 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

06About Ecclesiastes

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

About Ecclesiastes