Question 1

What does it mean that a just man perishes while a wicked man lives long?

Accepted Answer

The passage describes something the writer has actually seen in life. A person who lives uprightly may die early, while someone who lives in open wickedness may enjoy a long life. This is not saying God is unfair or that righteousness is useless. It is facing the fact that under the sun things often look upside down. We cannot always trace God’s reasons in each case. This honest observation pushes us to rely on wisdom and the fear of God, instead of assuming that outward success always shows who is right with God.

Question 2

What does be not righteous over much or over wise mean in this passage?

Accepted Answer

“Be not righteous over much” does not mean we can sin a little and be fine. True righteousness cannot be overdone. Here the warning is about a proud, self-made kind of righteousness and a showy wisdom that forgets our limits. Someone can be harsh, rigid, and full of themselves in the name of being right, and end up hurting both themselves and others. The verse calls for humility, not laziness about holiness. We are to avoid self-righteousness and an arrogant quest to know everything, and instead walk in a quiet, God-fearing wisdom.

Question 3

What does it mean to not be over much wicked or foolish?

Accepted Answer

The words “be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish” are not permission to sin a bit as long as we avoid excess. The writer has already said no one is without sin. Here he is warning people who are already sinners not to go further, not to dig in and harden themselves. To stay in known sin and folly is like choosing an early death. The idea is, when you are warned, do not delay in turning back. Do not push God’s patience or pretend that deepening in wickedness has no real cost for your life or soul.

Question 4

How does fearing God help someone avoid both extremes in this passage?

Accepted Answer

The passage says the one who fears God “shall come forth of them all,” meaning they will be kept from both the trap of proud self-righteousness and the ruin of deep wickedness. To fear God is to take Him seriously, to respect His holiness, His wisdom, and His rule over your life. That kind of reverence keeps you from trusting your own goodness, because you know you still sin. It also keeps you from playing with evil, because you know God sees and judges. The fear of God leads to a balanced, humble way of living before Him.

Question 5

What does there is not a just man upon earth that sinneth not teach about people?

Accepted Answer

This line is very plain about human nature. Even people who are called “just” or upright still sin. No one on earth does only good and never fails. This rules out the idea that we can be perfect in ourselves. It calls us to be honest, to drop pride, and to be patient with others’ faults, because we know our own hearts. It also hints that we need mercy, not just effort. The passage uses this truth to warn against taking every harsh word to heart, since we too have spoken wrongly about others at times.

Question 6

Why are we told to not take to heart everything people say, even a servant cursing us?

Accepted Answer

The writer says not to pay close attention to every word others speak, in case you hear your own servant cursing you. The point is that if you listen too closely and take every comment as a deep wound, you will be miserable. You are reminded that you too have spoken badly about others. This memory should make you slower to anger and more ready to overlook some words. Wisdom teaches us to be thick-skinned in the right way, not easily shaken by gossip or passing comments, and to respond with humility instead of harsh judgment.

Question 7

Why does the Preacher say wisdom was far from him even after searching for it?

Accepted Answer

The writer describes how he set his heart to know and search out wisdom and the reason of things, but then admits it was still far from him. This shows the limits of human understanding. Some of God’s purposes are “far off and exceeding deep.” Even a very wise person cannot fully grasp all that God is doing or explain every puzzle in life. This confession keeps us from worshiping our own minds. We should value wisdom highly, yet accept that only God is all-wise. Our role is to trust Him and use the light He gives, not to demand full answers.

Question 8

What does the bitter woman with snares and nets represent in this passage?

Accepted Answer

The passage speaks of finding “more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands.” This pictures a kind of woman who uses charm, flattery, or seduction to trap others in sin. Her inner motives are like traps, and anyone who falls for her is bound. The verse says the one who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner will be caught. The main point is not to attack all women, but to warn about a certain kind of temptation that can ruin a person, and to show that fearing God protects from such snares.

Question 9

What does it mean that God made man upright but they sought out many devices?

Accepted Answer

This final verse looks back to how God created humans. “God hath made man upright” means that at the beginning, humanity was made straight, with a right nature. The problem is not with God’s design, but with what people have done since. “They have sought out many devices” describes how humans have chased crooked paths, schemes, and sins of their own making. So our misery and confusion do not come from God’s lack of goodness, but from our turning away from His way. This pushes us to own our guilt instead of blaming God, and to seek His mercy and wisdom.

Question 10

Why does this passage seem hard when it talks about being over righteous and over wicked?

Accepted Answer

These verses can sound like they are telling us to aim for the middle in morality, as if a bit of sin and a bit of goodness is best. That is not the point. The wording is difficult and has been read in more than one way, but the overall passage helps us. It shows that no one is without sin, warns against proud self-righteousness, and also warns against sinking deeper into evil. The safe path is not lukewarm faith, but humble fear of God. He keeps us from both proud extremes and from careless living in sin.

Ecclesiastes 7:15

All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness.

The Limits of Human Wisdom

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Ecclesiastes 7:15

All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness.

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The Limits of Human Wisdom

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