Ecclesiastes 7:15 (ASV)

Passage

All this have I seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth [his life] in his evil-doing.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 7:13 Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?

Ecclesiastes 7:14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yea, God hath made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything [that shall be] after him.

Ecclesiastes 7:15 All this have I seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth [his life] in his evil-doing.

Ecclesiastes 7:16 Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thyself overwise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?

Ecclesiastes 7:17 Be not overmuch wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "seen", "days", "vanity", "righteous", "perisheth", "righteousness", "wicked", and "prolongeth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "seen" and "days", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "In the day of prosperity be joyful..." into verse 16's "Be not righteous overmuch neither make thyself...", so "seen" and "days" belong inside that flow. In Ecclesiastes context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "seen" and "days" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.