Ecclesiastes 7:15 (LSB)

Passage

I have seen everything during my days of vanity; there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 7:13 See the work of God, For who is able to straighten what He has bent?

Ecclesiastes 7:14 In the day when there is good be of good cheer, But in the day when there is evil see— God has made the one as well as the other So that man will not find out anything that will be after him.

Ecclesiastes 7:15 I have seen everything during my days of vanity; there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs his life in his evildoing.

Ecclesiastes 7:16 Do not be excessively righteous, and do not be overly wise. Why should you make yourself desolate?

Ecclesiastes 7:17 Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a simpleminded fool. Why should you die before your time?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "seen", "everything", "during", "days", "vanity", "righteous", "perishes", and "righteousness". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "seen" and "everything", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "In the day when there is good..." into verse 16's "Do not be excessively righteous and do...", so "seen" and "everything" 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 "seen" and "everything" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.