Ecclesiastes 7:28 (YLT)

Passage

(that still my soul had sought, and I had not found), One man, a teacher, I have found, and a woman among all these I have not found.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 7:26 And I am finding more bitter than death, the woman whose heart <FI>is<Fi> nets and snares, her hands <FI>are<Fi> bands; the good before God escapeth from her, but the sinner is captured by her.

Ecclesiastes 7:27 See, this I have found, said the Preacher, one to one, to find out the reason

Ecclesiastes 7:28 (that still my soul had sought, and I had not found), One man, a teacher, I have found, and a woman among all these I have not found.

Ecclesiastes 7:29 See, this alone I have found, that God made man upright, and they--they have sought out many devices.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "still", "soul", "sought", "found", "teacher", and "woman". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "still" and "soul", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 27's "See this I have found said the..." into verse 29's "See this alone I have found that...", so "still" and "soul" 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 "still" and "soul" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.