Ecclesiastes 7:17 (WEB)

Passage

Don’t be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time?

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 7:15 All this I have seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives long in his evildoing.

Ecclesiastes 7:16 Don’t be overly righteous, neither make yourself overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself?

Ecclesiastes 7:17 Don’t be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time?

Ecclesiastes 7:18 It is good that you should take hold of this. Yes, also from that don’t withdraw your hand; for he who fears God will come out of them all.

Ecclesiastes 7:19 Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "Don t be overly righteous neither make..." into verse 18's "It is good that you should take...", so "wicked" and "neither" 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 "wicked" and "neither" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.