Ecclesiastes 7:17 (GNV)

Passage

I haue seene all things in the dayes of my vanitie: there is a iust man that perisheth in his iustice, and there is a wicked man that continueth long in his malice.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 7:15 Beholde the worke of God: for who can make straight that which he hath made crooked?

Ecclesiastes 7:16 In the day of wealth be of good comfort, and in the day of affliction consider: God also hath made this contrary to that, to the intent that man shoulde finde nothing after him.

Ecclesiastes 7:17 I haue seene all things in the dayes of my vanitie: there is a iust man that perisheth in his iustice, and there is a wicked man that continueth long in his malice.

Ecclesiastes 7:18 Be not thou iust ouermuch, neither make thy selfe ouerwise: wherefore shouldest thou be desolate?

Ecclesiastes 7:19 Be not thou wicked ouermuch, neither be thou foolish: wherefore shouldest thou perish not in thy time?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "all things", "haue", "seene", "dayes", "vanitie", "iust", "perisheth", and "iustice". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "all things" and "haue", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "In the day of wealth be of..." into verse 18's "Be not thou iust ouermuch neither make...", so "all things" and "haue" 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 "haue" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.