Ecclesiastes 7:14 (DBY)

Passage

In the day of prosperity enjoy good, and in the day of adversity consider: God hath also set the one beside the other, to the end that man should find out nothing [of what shall be] after him.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 7:12 For wisdom is a defence [as] money is a defence; but the excellency of knowledge is, [that] wisdom maketh them that possess it to live.

Ecclesiastes 7:13 Consider the work of God; for who can make straight what he hath made crooked?

Ecclesiastes 7:14 In the day of prosperity enjoy good, and in the day of adversity consider: God hath also set the one beside the other, to the end that man should find out nothing [of what shall be] after him.

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

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "prosperity", "enjoy", "good", "adversity", "consider", "hath", "beside", and "other". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "prosperity" and "enjoy", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Consider the work of God for who..." into verse 15's "All this have I seen in the...", so "prosperity" and "enjoy" 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 "prosperity" and "enjoy" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.