Ecclesiastes 7:27 (KJV)

Passage

Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account:

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 7:25 I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:

Ecclesiastes 7:26 And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as 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, counting one by one, to find out the account:

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

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "behold", "found", "saith", "preacher", "counting", "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 yet my soul 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.