Ecclesiastes 7:25 (WEB)

Passage

I turned around, and my heart sought to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity, and that foolishness is madness.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 7:23 All this I have proved in wisdom. I said, “I will be wise”; but it was far from me.

Ecclesiastes 7:24 That which is, is far off and exceedingly deep. Who can find it out?

Ecclesiastes 7:25 I turned around, and my heart sought to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity, and that foolishness is madness.

Ecclesiastes 7:26 I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and traps, whose hands are chains. Whoever pleases God shall escape from her; but the sinner will be ensnared by her.

Ecclesiastes 7:27 “Behold, I have found this,” says the Preacher, “to one another, to find out the scheme;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "turned", "around", "heart", "sought", "search", "seek", "wisdom", and "scheme". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "turned" and "around", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 24's "That which is is far off and..." into verse 26's "I find more bitter than death the...", so "turned" and "around" 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 "turned" and "around" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.