Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Ecclesiastes 7:25
I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason [of things], and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness [and] madness:
25. I applied mine heart to know ] The present text and punctuation give, as in the marginal reading of the A. V., I and my heart. The expression has no exact parallel in O. T. language, but harmonizes with the common mode of speech, familiar enough in the poetry of all times and countries, furnishing a title (“My Soul and I”) to a poem of Whittier’s, in which a man addresses his heart or soul (comp. Luk 12:19), as something distinguishable from himself. So in ch. Ecc 1:13 we have “I gave my heart.” Here the thought implied seems to be that of an intense retrospective consciousness of the experience, or experiment, of life which the seeker is about to narrate. The words indicate another return to the results of that experience and the lessons it had taught him. He turned to ask the “ reason,” better perhaps, the plan or rationale, of the prevalence of madness and folly. We note, as before in ch. Ecc 2:12, the Stoic manner of dealing with the follies of men as a kind of mental aberration.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Reason – The same word is translated account Ecc 7:27, invention Ecc 7:29, and device Ecc 9:10 : it is derived from a root signifying to count.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 25. I applied mine heart] I cast about, sabbothi, I made a circuit; I circumscribed the ground I was to traverse; and all within my circle I was determined to know, and to investigate, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things. Has man reason and understanding? If so, then this is his work. God as much calls him to use these powers in this way, as to believe on the Lord Jesus that he may be saved; and he that does not, according to the means in his power, is a slothful servant, from whom God may justly take away the misemployed or not used talent, and punish him for his neglect. Every doctrine of God is a subject both for reason and faith to work on.
To know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness.]
“And my own heart, with scrutiny severe,
By far the harder task survey’d; intent
To trace that wisdom which from heaven descends,
Fountain of living waters, and to explore
The source of human folly, whose foul streams
Intoxicate and kill.”-C.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
I applied mine heart; I was not discouraged, but provoked by the difficulty of the work to undertake it; which is an argument of a great and generous soul.
To know, and to search, and to seek out; he useth three words signifying the same thing, to intimate his vehement desire and vigorous and unwearied endeavour after it.
The reason of things, both of Gods various providences, and of the differing and contrary counsels and courses of men.
To know the wickedness of folly, that I might clearly and fully understand the great evil of sin, and all that wickedness and folly or madness which is bound up in the hearts of all men by nature, and which discovers itself in the course of their lives.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
25. Literally, “I turnedmyself and mine heart to.” A phrase peculiar to Ecclesiastes,and appropriate to the penitent turning back to communewith his heart on his past life.
wickedness of follyHeis now a step further on the path of penitence than in Ecc 1:17;Ecc 2:12, where “folly”is put without “wickedness” prefixed.
reasonrather, “theright estimation” of things. HOLDENtranslates also “foolishness (that is, sinful folly, answeringto ‘wickedness’ in the parallel) of madness” (that is, of man’smad pursuits).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom,…. Or, “I and my heart turned about” h; took a circuit, a tour throughout the whole compass of things; looked into every corner, and went through the circle of knowledge, in order to search and find out what true wisdom is; which is no other than Christ, and a spiritual knowledge of him; a variety of words is used to express his eager desire after wisdom, and the diligent search he made, from which he was not discouraged by the difficulties he met with; see Ec 1:13;
and the reason [of things]; either in nature or providence: or the estimation i of them; the excellency of them, how much they are to be accounted of, esteemed, and valued; as Christ, the Wisdom of God, and all things relating to him, should;
and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness [and] madness; the exceeding sinfulness of sin, the folly and madness that are in it; sin is the effect of folly, and the excess of it, and a spiritual madness; it is true of all sin in general, but especially of the sin of uncleanness, which Solomon seems to have in view by what follows; see Ec 1:17; and may chiefly intend the wickedness of his own folly, and the foolishness of his own madness.
h “circuivi ego et cor meum”, Pagninus, Montanus, Mercerus, Gejerus. i “estimationem rerum”, Mercerus.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
But, on the other side, he can bear testimony to himself that he has honestly exercised himself in seeking to go to the foundation of things: “I turned myself, and my heart was there to discern, and to explore, and to seek wisdom, and the account, and to perceive wickedness as folly, and folly as madness.” Regarding sabbothi , vid., under Ecc 2:20: a turning is meant to the theme as given in what follows, which, as we have to suppose, was connected with a turning away form superficiality and frivolity. Almost all interpreters-as also the accentuation does – connect the two words ; but “I and my heart” is so unpsychological an expression, without example, that many Codd. (28 of Kennicott, 44 of de Rossi) read daer )i with my heart. The erasure of the vav (as e.g., Luther: “I applied my heart”) would at the same time require the change of into . The Targ., Jerome, and the Venet. render the word ; the lxx and Syr., on the contrary, ; and this also is allowable, if we place the disjunctive on and take as consequent: my heart, i.e., my striving and effort, was to discern (Aben Ezra, Herzf., Stuart), – a substantival clause instead of the verbal , Ecc 1:13, Ecc 1:17. Regarding tur in an intellectual sense, vid., Ecc 1:13. Hheshbon , with hhochmah , we have translated by “ Rechenschaft ” account, ratio; for we understand by it a knowledge well grounded and exact, and able to be established, – the facit of a calculation of all the facts and circumstances relating thereto; is Mishnic, and = the N.T. . Of the two accus. Ecc 7:25 following , the first, as may be supposed, and as the determination in the second member shows, is that of the obj., the second that of the pred. (Ewald, 284 b): that , i.e., conduct separating from God and from the law of that which is good, is kesel , Thorheit , folly (since, as Socrates also taught, all sinning rests on a false calculation, to the sinner’s own injury); and that hassichluth , Narrheit , foolishness, stultitia ( vid., sachal , and Ecc 1:17), is to be thus translated (in contradistinction to ), i.e., an intellectual and moral obtuseness, living for the day, rising up into foolery, not different from holeloth , fury, madness, and thus like a physical malady, under which men are out of themselves, rage, and are mad. Koheleth’s striving after wisdom thus, at least is the second instance ( ), with a renunciation of the transcendental, went towards a practical end. And now he expresses by one of the experiences he had reached in this way of research. How much value he attaches to this experience is evident from the long preface, by means of which it is as it were distilled. We see him there on the way to wisdom, to metaphysical wisdom, if we may so speak – it remains as far off from him as he seeks to come near to it. We then see him, yet not renouncing the effort after wisdom, on the way toward practical wisdom, which exercises itself in searching into the good and the bad; and that which has presented itself to him as the bitterest of the bitter is – a woman.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
SOLOMON’S SEARCH
Verse 25 emphasizes that Solomon was diligent in his effort to “know” and “search” and “seek out” wisdom, and the “reason” of things; also to know the wickedness of folly, even foolishness and madness, perhaps referring to his own iniquity (1Ki 11:1-4).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
2. Through intensive study, one comes to see the potential within men and women to do evil. Ecc. 7:25-28
TEXT 7:2528
25
I directed my mind to know, to investigate, and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the evil of folly and the foolishness of madness.
26
And I discovered more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are chains. One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but the sinner will be captured by her.
27
Behold, I have discovered this, says the Preacher, adding one thing to another to find an explanation,
28
Which I am still seeking but have not found. I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a woman among all these.
THOUGHT QUESTIONS 7:2528
217.
Who will escape from the evil woman?
218.
Identify the three figurative tools used by the evil woman.
219.
Solomon directed his mind to seek what?
220.
How many men out of a thousand did he find that had such wisdom as he desired?
221.
How many women did he discover who possessed wisdom to this degree?
PARAPHRASE 7:2528
I said in my heart that I will seek out two things: on the one hand, I will study, investigate and find an explanation and wisdom; on the other hand, I will come to know and identify wickedness, stupidity, folly and madness. What did I discover? I discovered something more bitter than death itself! I found through my experience with woman that her thoughts are snares and traps, and her hands are chains. One who seeks God and pleases Him may escape her. However, one who is a sinner will be caught in her snares and traps. Look! says the Preacher, This is what I have discovered by adding one thought to another to find an explanation, which still calls forth my souls energy and asks my strength. Yes, I am still searching but have not found a satisfactory answer. I have found that among a thousand men there is but one who can be numbered among the wise. However, I cannot say the same for women. I have not found one such women among all these.
COMMENT 7:2528
These verses are among the most difficult verses in Ecclesiastes to interpret. The primary cause of difficulty stems from whether one should exegete the passage literally or figuratively. If the woman is figurative (false wisdom), it is one thing, but if she is a real woman then a different interpretation must be given. It is true, however, that regardless of the direction one takes, whether literal or figurative, there are similar passages in the Bible to support the principles involved.
An overview of the passage. Solomon is determined to discover wisdom in the fullest sense. This is not a new quest. (Cf. Ecc. 1:13; Ecc. 1:16-17; Ecc. 7:23-24) However, he admits that he has not found the satisfactory answers. The one thing he has discovered is that not only is complete wisdom illusive, it is equally difficult to discover a wise person. His observation is that only one man in a thousand could be considered wise, but he failed to discover even one woman among this number. He further observes that there are some women who will catch and destroy you if it is in their power to do so. The one who pleases God and receives His favor will escape from the snare of such a woman. However, the one who acts foolishly will be caught by her.
The literal view. Solomon does not categorically label all women as evil. He identifies the evil woman as the woman whose heart is snares and nets. The implication suggests that there are women whose hearts are not snares and nets. It is from the writing of Solomon that we have the beautiful description of the virtuous woman so delineated in terms of praise and honor. (Cf. Pro. 31:10-31)
There can be little question concerning the power women are capable of exerting over men. In the context of Solomons discussion, that power is evil. There are numerous non-Biblical proverbs which speak to a consensus on this subject. Some of these are: It is better to follow a lion than a woman; Woe to the age whose leader is a woman; Who follows the counsel of his wife arrives at hell; and Women are snares of Satan. There is also the warning from Solomon: Now therefore, my sons, listen to me, and pay attention to the words of my mouth. Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways, do not stray into her paths. For many are the victims she has cast down, and numerous are all her slain. Her house is on the way to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death (Pro. 7:24-27).
In Solomons investigation to discover the evil of folly and the foolishness of madness, he discovered how far both men and women are removed from their original design. There is little comfort for men, and less for women. He was unable to discover the degree of wisdom which he desired, but he discovered all too soon the depths of evil to which both men and women are capable of descending. As a male writer, he naturally turns to his counterpart in crime to impress the minds of his readers with the extent of his discovery of evil. He speaks of inescapable snares, nets and chains. However, he hastens to speak objectively and suggests that although God made men upright, they have bent low in the pursuit of devising new ways of committing sin.
His statement that he was unable to find one wise woman among a thousand should not be looked upon as saying there are no wise women. It is rather a relative comparison with men. He is saying that from his own observations, he has discovered that there are fewer wise women than men.
These verses should not be used to build a case for the superiority of men over women in the possession and use of wisdom. Many commentaries miss the point of Solomons argument when they draw attention to the fact that only men were employed in writing the Bible, and in holding prominent positions of leadership in both the Jewish economy and the Christian church. The inference is that women were neither wise enough nor suited for such undertakings. It is true that woman was first in the fall (Cf. 1Ti. 3:13-14), and that she is to be in subjection (Cf. Eph. 5:22-24). But neither of these conclusions speak to the point at hand. It is simply that in Solomons pursuit of wisdom and evil, he discovered mankind to be perverse and crooked. His conclusion is: wise, righteous people are scarce!
The literal interpretation of this passage satisfies the hermeneutical demands placed upon it.
The figurative view. The personification of false wisdom as the woman establishes a natural correspondence between sound doctrine which is pleasing to God, and its opposite, folly and madness which trap, ensnare, and destroy the sinner. It could be argued that the woman answers to philosophy and vain deceit. (Cf. Col. 2:8; 1Ti. 6:20) While it is true that both Israel and the church are personified as a woman (Cf. Eph. 5:24-32; Rev. 21:2; Rev. 21:9; Rev. 22:17; Jdg. 8:27), it does not necessarily follow that such figurative language is used here. Solomons literal wives (300 of them and 700 concubines) were responsible for turning his heart away after other gods. They were real, physical women who ensnared and captured Solomons heart. So enslaved was he by their evil powers that he actually accepted the false wisdom of Ashtoreth and Milcom. He was led to false doctrine by his entanglement with real women. It is written of him, And Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not follow the Lord fully, as David his father had done (1Ki. 11:6). There is little justification in the light of Solomons experiences and the context of Ecclesiastes for a figurative interpretation.
Christological thoughts. It is true that men and women are equally wise. It is also true that they are equally sinful. When one realizes that Solomon is marking all with the curse of sin and only a few with the blessing of wisdom, he has arrived at the intent of the passage. Some have not shared this interpretation of the passage and since they are reluctant to make a distinction between men and women in the area of wisdom, they ascribe the one man among a thousand to Jesus Christ. The one man they insist is a reference to Jesus who to Solomon was also the rose of Sharon, the lily of the valleys (Son. 2:1). There are a number of arguments that militate against such a conclusion. Jesus does stand in a class by Himself. He is wisdom. However, to find one among a thousand implies that he would find another if he continued his search. There is only one Jesus (God). To ascribe this passage to Jesus would be breaking from the under the sun context of Solomons search. It is better to simply take him at his word: he did find one among a thousand. Finally, the context is not clarified or helped by such an interpretation.
Solomon is still reasoning under the sun. He has clearly expressed his desire to be wise, and he has confessed to his inability to achieve such wisdom. He states his purpose to discover folly and madness and it is in this area that he excels. His final conclusions are consistent with the total context. He says (1) there are few wise people, (2) there are many who are caught in the trap of wickedness, and (3) those who devise new ways of sinning!
FACT QUESTIONS 7:2528
394.
What makes the interpretation of these verses difficult?
395.
Identify the two general areas Solomon is attempting to discover?
396.
Is Solomon declaring that all women are evil? Discuss.
397.
Was Solomon able to discover an explanation (Ecc. 7:27-28) of the wisdom he sought?
398.
What did he find?
399.
Explain what Solomon means by his statement: I have not found a woman among all these.
400.
If this passage is interpreted figuratively, the evil woman is a personification of what?
401.
Were the women who turned Solomons heart away from God real or figurative? Give proof of your answer.
402.
In what was Solomon entangled when he turned away from God?
403.
Give two reasons why a Christological interpretation of this passage is unwarranted.
404.
After a careful study of these verses, write your own summary statement of the passage.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(25) The reason of things.The corresponding verb to count is common. This noun is almost peculiar to this book, where it occurs again in Ecc. 7:27; Ecc. 7:29; Ecc. 9:10; save that in 2Ch. 26:15 we have the plural in the sense of military engines.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
25. I applied mine heart to know is my heart turned to know? The writer resumes his practical inquiry in a new direction. He searches to know the actual cause of the intense and appaling wickedness of men. And the reason, etc. Hebrew, to know the reason of wickedness and vice and folly, which is madness. So awful a fact must have some adequate cause, if it can only be found.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Ecc 7:25. To seek out wisdom, and the reason of things To seek out wisdom and reason, and that I might know the wickedness of ignorance, and the foolishness of that which is in the greatest esteem, See chap. Ecc 2:2. That the advices above given might be the better received, our author declares that he speaks of nothing but what he has examined with all the care and application which human wisdom can suggest. “I resolved, says he, to be thoroughly wise; and though I was stopped far short of the end that I proposed, by the very nature of the inquiries in which I was engaged, yet I went as far as I possibly could: Ecc 7:23. The farther I advanced, the more I was convinced that wisdom was flying from me. Yet I did not leave off the pursuit of knowledge, and of whatever is the object of human reason. The wickedness or impiety which is the natural consequence of ignorance, the foolishness of every thing which men generally value the most, were also the subjects of my earnest inquiries;” Ecc 7:24-25. However, his discoveries, abstractedly from what is to be said hereafter of the excellency of wisdom, were confined to a few articles. First, bad women are excessively dangerous, and, on account of the many evils which are brought upon men by their means, may be ranked in the same class with death itself. Their arts and wiles are such, that it is scarcely possible for any one to escape out of their snares, except he is one of those who, by a constant pursuit of true virtue and holiness, have made themselves acceptable to God Almighty. Secondly, though some men may, through that means, be enabled to avoid being led into a wicked course of life; yet there is no one bad woman, but is mistress either of such bodily charms, or of such persuasive arts, as to be able to gain some men to her own ends. How they can, or why they have been by nature so framed as to be able to compass those ends, is a secret as yet undiscovered: but the fact itself is attested by daily experience, and Solomon had more of that experience than any man. Thirdly, Whatever devices men may have either sought out, or been led into, sometimes to their own destruction, God is no ways answerable for them, as he created them upright, and still offers them his grace. This is the only consideration which deserves to be insisted on; and it is such, that we must keep it constantly in view, whenever we are talking of men’s mistakes or misdemeanours.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Ecc 7:25 I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason [of things], and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness [and] madness:
Ver. 25. I applied mine heart. ] Circuivi ego et cot meum, so the original runs; I and my heart turned about, or made a circle to know, &c. He took his heart with him, and resolved, hard or not hard, to make further search into wisdom’s secrets. Difficulty doth but whet on heroic spirits: it doth no whit weaken but waken their resolutions to go through with the work. When Alexander met with any hard or hazardous piece of service, he would say, Iam periculum par anime Alexandri, He ever achieved what he enterprised, because he never accounted anything impossible to be achieved. David was well pleased with the condition of bringing in to Saul the foreskins of a hundred Philistines. If a bowl run downhill, a rub in the way does but quicken it; as if up hill, it slows it. A man of Solomon’s make, one that hath a free, noble, princely spirit, speaks to wisdom, as Laelius in Lucan did to Caesar,
“ Iussa sequi tam velle mihi, quam posse, necesse. ”
And to know the wickedness of folly.
Even the foolishness of madness.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the reason . . . madness = in order to know the reason (or cause) of folly’s wickedness, and the madness of folly.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
I applied mine heart: Heb. I and my heart compassed, Ecc 1:13-17, Ecc 2:1-3, Ecc 2:12, Ecc 2:20
the reason: Ecc 7:27, *marg. Ecc 2:15, Ecc 3:16, Ecc 3:17, Ecc 9:1, Ecc 9:2, Jer 12:1, Jer 12:2, 2Pe 2:3-9, 2Pe 3:3-9
know: Ecc 9:3, Ecc 10:13, Gen 34:7, Jos 7:13, 2Sa 13:12, Pro 17:12, Pro 26:11
Reciprocal: Pro 2:2 – apply Pro 6:32 – lacketh Pro 22:17 – apply Ecc 8:9 – this Ecc 8:16 – When I Mar 7:22 – foolishness 2Pe 2:16 – the madness
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Ecc 7:25. I applied my heart to know I was not discouraged, but provoked, by the difficulty of the work, to undertake it. To know, search, and seek out wisdom He useth three words signifying the same thing, to intimate his vehement desire, and vigorous and unwearied endeavours after it. And the reason of things Both of Gods various providences, and of the counsels and courses of men. To know the wickedness, &c Clearly and fully to understand the great evil of sin.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The connections between wisdom and righteousness on the one hand, and folly and wickedness on the other, are especially close in this pericope. As in Proverbs 1-9, Solomon personified folly as a woman (Ecc 7:26). As Solomon sought to understand wisdom (Ecc 7:25), he learned that the person who wants to please God will escape folly and wickedness, but the person who prefers to sin will not (Ecc 7:26). Folly is worse than death (Ecc 7:26).
The "man" in view in Ecc 7:28 is the "person" who is pleasing to God (Ecc 7:26). The Hebrew word for "man" here (adam) is generic, and refers to people, rather than males in contrast to females. Solomon meant in Ecc 7:28 b that a person who is pleasing to God is extremely rare (cf. Job 9:3; Job 33:23). The reference to "woman" (Ecc 7:28 c) is a way of expressing in parallelism (with "man") that no one really pleases God completely. A paraphrase of Ecc 7:28 b-c is, "I have found very few people who please God, no one at all really." The idea definitely is not that one out of 1,000 males pleases God, but no females at all do. This is a good example of Hebrew parallelism that, if unobserved, can lead to a bizarre interpretation.
"This is one man’s experience [i.e., the writer’s], and he does not universalize it." [Note: Ibid., p. 72.]
"Some commentators have suggested that this woman whose heart is a snare and a trap (Ecc 7:26) is but the personification of that wickedness which is folly itself. She is the ’strange woman’ of Proverbs 1-9. Perhaps this interpretation is the closest to what Solomon intended, for the topic is wisdom from Ecc 7:20 to Ecc 8:1." [Note: Kaiser, Ecclesiastes . . ., p. 88.]
Who is responsible for the universal failure to please God? Solomon said people are, not God (Ecc 7:29). God made us upright in the sense of being able to choose to please or not please God. Nevertheless, we have all gone our own way in pursuit of "many devices." The same Hebrew word translated "devices" in Ecc 7:29 reads "explanation" in Ecc 7:25; Ecc 7:27. The point is not that people have turned aside to sin, but that they have sought out many explanations. They have sought many explanations of what? In the context, Solomon was talking about God’s plan. Failing to fully understand God’s scheme of things, people have turned aside to their own explanations of these things.