Ecclesiastes 7:19 (GNV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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?

Ecclesiastes 7:20 It is good that thou lay hold on this: but yet withdrawe not thine hand from that: for he that feareth God, shall come forth of them all.

Ecclesiastes 7:21 Wisedome shall strengthen the wise man more then ten mightie princes that are in ye citie.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thou", "wicked", "ouermuch", "neither", "foolish", "wherefore", and "shouldest". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thou" and "wicked", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "Be not thou iust ouermuch neither make..." into verse 20's "It is good that thou lay hold...", so "thou" and "wicked" 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 "thou" and "wicked" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.