Ecclesiastes 7:20 (YLT)

Passage

Because there is not a righteous man on earth that doth good and sinneth not.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 7:18 <FI> It is<Fi> good that thou dost lay hold on this, and also, from that withdrawest not thy hand, for whoso is fearing God goeth out with them all.

Ecclesiastes 7:19 The wisdom giveth strength to a wise man, more than wealth the rulers who have been in a city.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 Because there is not a righteous man on earth that doth good and sinneth not.

Ecclesiastes 7:21 Also to all the words that they speak give not thy heart, that thou hear not thy servant reviling thee.

Ecclesiastes 7:22 For many times also hath thy heart known that thou thyself also hast reviled others.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "righteous", "earth", "doth", "good", and "sinneth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "righteous" and "earth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "The wisdom giveth strength to a wise..." into verse 21's "Also to all the words that they...", so "righteous" and "earth" 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 "righteous" and "earth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.