Ecclesiastes 7:7

Ecclesiastes 7:7

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5 ^aIt is better to¹ hear the rebuke of the wise
Than for a man to hear the song of fools.

6 ^aFor like the¹ crackling of thorns under a pot,
So is the laughter of the fool.
This also is vanity.

7 Surely oppression destroys a wise man’s reason,
^aAnd a bribe¹ debases the heart.

8 The end of a thing is better than its beginning;
^aThe patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

9 ^aDo not hasten in your spirit to be angry,
For anger rests in the bosom of fools.

Commentaries:

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown

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Ecclesiastes 7:8 >>

oppression—recurring to the idea (Ecclesiastes 3:16; Ecclesiastes 5:8). Its connection with Ecclesiastes 7:4-6 is, the sight of "oppression" perpetrated by "fools" might tempt the "wise" to call in question God's dispensations, and imitate the folly (equivalent to "madness") described (Ecclesiastes 7:5,6). WEISS, for "oppression," translates, "distraction," produced by merriment. But Ecclesiastes 5:8 favors English Version.

a gift—that is, the sight of bribery in "places of judgment" (Ecclesiastes 3:16) might cause the wise to lose their wisdom (equivalent to "heart"), (Job 12:6; Job 21:6-7; Job 24:1, etc.). This suits the parallelism better than "a heart of gifts"; a benevolent heart, as WEISS.

**Other Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown entries containing Ecclesiastes 7:7:**

Ecclesiastes 7:8
Hosea 4:11

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Ecclesiastes 7:8 >>

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