Ecclesiastes 7:14 (YLT)

Passage

In a day of prosperity be in gladness, And in a day of evil consider. Also this over-against that hath God made, To the intent that man doth not find anything after him.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 7:12 For wisdom <FI>is<Fi> a defense, money <FI>is<Fi> a defence, And the advantage of the knowledge of wisdom <FI>is<Fi> , She reviveth her possessors.

Ecclesiastes 7:13 See the work of God, For who is able to make straight that which He made crooked?

Ecclesiastes 7:14 In a day of prosperity be in gladness, And in a day of evil consider. Also this over-against that hath God made, To the intent that man doth not find anything after him.

Ecclesiastes 7:15 The whole I have considered in the days of my vanity. There is a righteous one perishing in his righteousness, and there is a wrong-doer prolonging <FI>himself<Fi> in his wrong.

Ecclesiastes 7:16 Be not over-righteous, nor show thyself too wise, why art thou desolate?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "prosperity", "gladness", "evil", "consider", "over-against", "hath", "intent", and "doth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "prosperity" and "gladness", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "See the work of God For who..." into verse 15's "The whole I have considered in the...", so "prosperity" and "gladness" 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 "prosperity" and "gladness" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.