Ecclesiastes 7:24 (DRB)

Passage

I have tried all things in wisdom. I have said: I will be wise: and it departed farther from me,

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 7:22 But do not apply thy heart to all words that are spoken: lest perhaps thou hear thy servant reviling thee.

Ecclesiastes 7:23 For thy conscience knoweth that thou also hast often spoken evil of others.

Ecclesiastes 7:24 I have tried all things in wisdom. I have said: I will be wise: and it departed farther from me,

Ecclesiastes 7:25 Much more than it was: it is a great depth, who shall find it out?

Ecclesiastes 7:26 I have surveyed all things with my mind, to know, and consider, and seek out wisdom and reason: and to know the wickedness of the fool, and the error of the imprudent:

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 23's "For thy conscience knoweth that thou also..." into verse 25's "Much more than it was it is...", so "all things" and "tried" 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 "all things" and "tried" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.