Ecclesiastes 7:17 (ASV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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?

Ecclesiastes 7:18 It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from that withdraw not thy hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth from them all.

Ecclesiastes 7:19 Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers that are in a city.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "overmuch", "wicked", "neither", "thou", "foolish", "shouldest", and "before". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "overmuch" and "wicked", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "Be not righteous overmuch neither make thyself..." into verse 18's "It is good that thou shouldest take...", so "overmuch" and "wicked" 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 "overmuch" and "wicked" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.