Ecclesiastes 7:23 (DBY)

Passage

All this have I tried by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 7:21 Also give not heed unto all words that are spoken, lest thou hear thy servant curse thee.

Ecclesiastes 7:22 For also thine own heart knoweth that oftentimes thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.

Ecclesiastes 7:23 All this have I tried by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.

Ecclesiastes 7:24 Whatever hath been, is far off, and exceeding deep: who will find it out?

Ecclesiastes 7:25 I turned, I and my heart, to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom and reason, and to know wickedness to be folly, and foolishness to be madness;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "tried", "wisdom", "said", and "wise". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "tried" and "wisdom", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "For also thine own heart knoweth that..." into verse 24's "Whatever hath been is far off and...", so "tried" and "wisdom" 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 "tried" and "wisdom" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.