Ecclesiastes 7:20 (LSB)

Passage

Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.

Nearby Context

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.

Ecclesiastes 7:19 Wisdom strengthens a wise man more than ten men with power who are in a city.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.

Ecclesiastes 7:21 Also, do not give your heart to all words which are spoken, so that you will not hear your slave cursing you.

Ecclesiastes 7:22 For your heart also knows that you likewise have many times cursed others.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "indeed", "righteous", "earth", "continually", "does", "good", "never", and "sins". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "indeed" and "righteous", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "Wisdom strengthens a wise man more than..." into verse 21's "Also do not give your heart to...", so "indeed" 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 "indeed" and "righteous" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.