Ecclesiastes 7 · Verse 17

Ecclesiastes 7:17

Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?
Ecclesiastes 7:17, King James Version

Ecclesiastes 7:17 in other translations

BSBDo not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?
WEBDon’t be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time?
ASVBe not overmuch wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?
YLTDo not much wrong, neither be thou a fool, why dost thou die within thy time?
DARBYBe not overmuch wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?
BBEBe not evil overmuch, and be not foolish. Why come to your end before your time?
WebsterBe not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldst thou die before thy time?

What does Ecclesiastes 7:17 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
17. over much wicked--so worded, to answer to "righteous over much." For if not taken thus, it would seem to imply that we may be wicked a little. "Wicked" refers to "wicked man" (Ec 7:15); "die before thy time," to "prolongeth his life," antithetically. There may be a wicked man spared to "live long," owing to his avoiding gross excesses (Ec 7:15). Solomon says, therefore, Be not so foolish (answering antithetically to "over wise," Ec 7:16), as to run to such excess of riot, that God will be provoked to cut off prematurely thy day of grace (Ro 2:5). The precept is addressed to a sinner. Beware of aggravating thy sin, so as to make thy case desperate. It refers to the days of Solomon's "vanity" (apostasy, Ec 7:15), when only such a precept would be applicable. By litotes it includes, "Be not wicked at all."

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 17 Be not overmuch wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time? - אל תרשע הרבה al tirsha harbeh. Do not multiply wickedness, do not add direct opposition to godliness to the rest of your crimes. Why should you provoke God to destroy you before your time? Perdition will come soon enough. If you will not turn from your sins, and avoid it finally, yet keep out of it as long as you can. It cannot be supposed, except by those who are totally unacquainted with the nature of true religion, that a man may have too much holiness, too much of the life of God in his soul! And yet a learned doctor, in three sermons on this text, has endeavored to show, out-doing Solomon's infidel, "the sin, folly, and danger of being righteous overmuch." O rare darkness!

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Ecclesiastes 7:11-22

Wisdom is as good as an inheritance, yea better. It shelters from the storms and scorching heat of trouble. Wealth will not lengthen out the natural life; but true wisdom will give spiritual life, and strengthen men for services under their sufferings. Let us look upon the disposal of our condition as the work of God, and at last all will appear to have been for the best. In acts of righteousness, be not carried…

Read the full comment on Ecclesiastes 7:11-22 →

Ecclesiastes 7:17 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

אַל\־'al-may notH408
תִּרְשַׁ֥עtir.Sha'you be wickedH7561
הַרְבֵּ֖הhar.BehgreatlyH7235
וְאַל\־ve.'al-and may notH408
תְּהִ֣יte.Hiyou beH1961
סָכָ֑לsa.Khala foolH5530
לָ֥מָּהLa.mah<to> why?H4100
תָמ֖וּתta.Mutwill you dieH4191
בְּלֹ֥אbe.Lo'at notH3808
עִתֶּֽךָ\׃'i.Te.khatime yourH6256

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Ecclesiastes 7:17

  • Proverbs 10:27

    The fear of the Lord prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.

  • Job 22:16

    Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood:

  • Psalms 55:23

    But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.

  • Acts 12:23

    And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.

  • Acts 5:10

    Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.

  • Acts 5:5

    And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.

  • 1 Samuel 25:38

    And it came to pass about ten days after, that the Lord smote Nabal, that he died.

  • Job 15:32-33

    It shall be accomplished before his time, and his branch shall not be green. He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and shall cast off his flower as the olive.

  • Genesis 38:7-10

    And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord; and the Lord slew him. And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother’s wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother. And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother’s wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother. And the thing which he did displeased the Lord: wherefore he slew him also.

  • James 1:21

    Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

  • Ezekiel 16:20

    Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter,

  • Ezekiel 8:17

    Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
not.
Jer 2:33,34; Eze 8:17; 16:20; Jas 1:21
why.
Ge 38:7-10; 1Sa 25:38; Job 15:32,33; Ps 55:23; Pr 10:27; Ac 5:5,10
Ac 12:23
before thy time. Heb. not in thy time.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Ecclesiastes 7:16

    Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?

  • Ecclesiastes 7:17

    Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?

  • Ecclesiastes 7:18

    It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all.

Read all of Ecclesiastes 7

Ecclesiastes 7:17 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		No hagas mal mucho, ni seas insensato: ¿por qué morirás antes de tu tiempo?
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Ne sois pas méchant à l’excès, et ne sois pas insensé; pourquoi mourrais-tu avant ton temps? –
German
Elberfelder 1871		Sei nicht allzu gesetzlos, und sei nicht töricht: warum willst du sterben, ehe deine Zeit da ist?
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Noli esse justus multum, neque plus sapias quam necesse est, ne obstupescas.