Ecclesiastes 7:16 (LSB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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?

Ecclesiastes 7:18 It is good that you seize one thing and also not let go of the other; for the one who fears God comes forth with both of them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "excessively", "righteous", "overly", "wise", "should", "make", "yourself", and "desolate". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "excessively" and "righteous", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "I have seen everything during my days..." into verse 17's "Do not be excessively wicked and do...", so "excessively" and "righteous" 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 "excessively" and "righteous" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.