Ecclesiastes 7:27 (ASV)

Passage

Behold, this have I found, saith the Preacher, [laying] one thing to another, to find out the account;

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 7:25 I turned about, and my heart [was set] to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the reason [of things], and to know that wickedness is folly, and that foolishness is madness.

Ecclesiastes 7:26 And I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, [and] whose hands are bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.

Ecclesiastes 7:27 Behold, this have I found, saith the Preacher, [laying] one thing to another, to find out the account;

Ecclesiastes 7:28 which my soul still seeketh, but I have not found: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.

Ecclesiastes 7:29 Behold, this only have I found: that God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "behold", "found", "saith", "preacher", "laying", "another", "find", and "account". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "behold" and "found", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 26's "And I find more bitter than death..." into verse 28's "which my soul still seeketh but I...", so "behold" and "found" 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 "behold" and "found" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.