Bible/Ecclesiastes/7

Ecclesiastes 7:10

7:9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this. wisely: Heb. out of wisdom

KJV

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Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not ask wisely about this.

Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this.

Say not you, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for you do not inquire wisely concerning this. ¶

7:11 Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun. good: or, as good as an inheritance, yea, better too

What does Ecclesiastes 7:10 mean?

Ecclesiastes 7:10 is a verse in the book of Ecclesiastes, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include אָמַר (ʼâmar), רִאשׁוֹן (riʼshôwn), יוֹם (yôwm). It connects to 4 cross-referenced passages elsewhere in Scripture.

Hebrew interlinear

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Sayאָמַרʼâmar/aw-mar'/H559to say (used with great latitude)
not
thou,
What
is
the
cause
that
the
formerרִאשׁוֹןriʼshôwn/ree-shone'/H7223first, in place, time or rank (as adjective or noun)
daysיוֹםyôwm/yome/H3117a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)
were
betterטוֹבṭôwb/tobe/H2896good (as an adjective) in the widest sense; used likewise as a noun, both in the masculine and the feminine, the singular and the plural (good, a good or good thing, a good man or woman; the good, goods or good things, good men or women), also as an adverb (well)
than
these?
for
thou
dost
not
enquireשָׁאַלshâʼal/shaw-al'/H7592to inquire; by implication, to request; by extension, to demand
wiselyחׇכְמָהchokmâh/khok-maw'/H2451wisdom (in a good sense)
concerning
this.
wisely:
Heb.
out
of
wisdom

Commentary on Ecclesiastes 7:10

HENRY_FULL · Ecclesiastes 7:10
ied him ( ver. 5, 6 ), delivered him, ver. 8 . IV His care respecting the acknowledgments he should make of the goodness of God to him, ver. 12 . 1. He will love God, ver. 1 . 2. He will continue to call upon him, ver. 2 , 13 , 17 . 3. He will rest in him, ver. 7 . 4. He will walk before him, ver. 9 . 5. He will pay his vows of thanksgiving, in which he will own the tender regard God had to him, and this publicly, ver. 13-15 , 17-19 . Lastly, He will continue God's faithful servant to his life's end, ver. 16 . These are such breathings of a holy soul as bespeak it very happy. Grateful Acknowledgments. 1 I love the Lord , because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. 2 Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. 3 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow. 4 Then called I upon the name of the Lord ; O Lord , I beseech thee, deliver my soul. 5 Gracious is the Lord , and righteous; yea, our God is merciful. 6 The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he helped me. 7 Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the

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Related passages from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

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Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Ecclesiastes 7:10.

Deuteronomy 4:32

For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it?

Genesis 1:14

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: the day: Heb. between the day and between the night

Genesis 1:18

And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:31

And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Genesis 2:17

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. thou shalt surely: Heb. dying thou shalt die

Genesis 2:18

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. meet: Heb. as before him

Genesis 26:7

And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon.

Genesis 3:14

And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

Frequently asked questions

What does Ecclesiastes 7:10 say?

Ecclesiastes 7:10 (King James Version) reads: "Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this. wisely: Heb. out of wisdom"

Is Ecclesiastes 7:10 in the Old or New Testament?

Ecclesiastes 7:10 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Ecclesiastes.

Reflect

As you read Ecclesiastes 7:10, what is one truth here you can carry into today?

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7:9Read all of Ecclesiastes 77:11