Ecclesiastes 7:18 (WEB)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth, who does good and doesn’t sin.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "good", "should", "take", "hold", "withdraw", "hand", "fears", and "come". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "good" and "should", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "Don t be too wicked neither be..." into verse 19's "Wisdom is a strength to the wise...", so "good" and "should" 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 "good" and "should" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.