Ecclesiastes 7:7-12

Wisdom—Although Vulnerable—is Beneficial

7 Surely oppression makes a fool of the wise, and a bribe corrupts the heart.

8 The end of a matter [is] better than its beginning; {better to be slow to anger than hot-headed}.

9 Do not be quick in your spirit to anger, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.

10 Do not say, "Why were the former days better than these?" For [it is] not from wisdom [that] you ask this.

11 Wisdom [is] good with an inheritance; {it benefits the living}.

12 {For wisdom offers protection like money offers protection}. But knowledge [has] an advantage--wisdom restores life to its possessor.

Ecclesiastes 7:7-12 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ECCLESIASTES 7

The wise man having exposed the many vanities to which men are subject in this life, and showed that there is no real happiness in all outward enjoyments under the sun; proceeds to observe what are remedies against them, of which he had interspersed some few hints before, as the fear and worship of God, and the free and, moderate use of the creatures; and here suggests more, and such as will protect from them, or support under them, or teach and instruct how to behave while attended with them, and to direct to what are proper and necessary in the pursuit of true and real happiness; such as care of a good name and reputation, Ec 7:1; frequent meditation on mortality, Ec 7:2-4; listening to the rebukes of the wise, which are preferable to the songs and mirth of fools, Ec 7:5,6; avoiding oppression and bribery, which are very pernicious, Ec 7:7; patience under provocations, and present bad times, as thought to be, Ec 7:8-10; a pursuit of that wisdom and knowledge which has life annexed to it, Ec 7:11,12; submission to the will of God, and contentment in every state, Ec 7:13,14; shunning extremes in righteousness and sin, the best antidote against which is the fear of God, Ec 7:15-18; such wisdom as not to be offended with everything that is done, or word that is spoken, considering the imperfection of the best of men, the weakness of others, and our own, Ec 7:19-22; and then the wise man acknowledges the imperfection of his own wisdom and knowledge, notwithstanding the pains he had taken, Ec 7:23-25; and laments his sin and folly in being drawn aside by women, Ec 7:26-28; and opens the cause of the depravity of human nature, removes it from God, who made man upright, and ascribes it to man, the inventor of evil things, Ec 7:29.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "[one who is] long of spirit [is] better than [one who is] high of spirit"
• [b]. Literally "to those who see the sun"
• [c]. Literally "For in the shade of wisdom [is] the shade of money"