Ecclesiastes 7:27
New International Version
“Look,” says the Teacher, “this is what I have discovered: “Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things—

New Living Translation
“This is my conclusion,” says the Teacher. “I discovered this after looking at the matter from every possible angle.

English Standard Version
Behold, this is what I found, says the Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things—

Berean Standard Bible
“Behold,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find an explanation.

King James Bible
Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account:

New King James Version
“Here is what I have found,” says the Preacher, “Adding one thing to the other to find out the reason,

New American Standard Bible
“Behold, I have discovered this,” says the Preacher, “by adding one thing to another to find an explanation,

NASB 1995
“Behold, I have discovered this,” says the Preacher, “adding one thing to another to find an explanation,

NASB 1977
“Behold, I have discovered this,” says the Preacher, “adding one thing to another to find an explanation,

Legacy Standard Bible
“See, I have found this,” says the Preacher, “adding one thing to another to find an explanation,

Amplified Bible
“Behold, I have discovered this,” says the Preacher, “while adding one thing to another to find an explanation,

Christian Standard Bible
“Look,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find out the explanation,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Look,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find out the explanation,

American Standard Version
Behold, this have I found, saith the Preacher, laying one thing to another, to find out the account;

Contemporary English Version
With all my wisdom I have tried to find out how everything fits together,

English Revised Version
Behold, this have I found, saith the Preacher; laying one thing to another, to find out the account:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The spokesman said, "This is what I've found: I added one thing to another in order to find a reason for things.

Good News Translation
Yes, said the Philosopher, I found this out little by little while I was looking for answers.

International Standard Version
"Look at this," says the Teacher. "Linking one thing to another, I reached this conclusion:

Majority Standard Bible
?Behold,? says the Teacher, ?I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find an explanation.

NET Bible
The Teacher says: I discovered this while trying to discover the scheme of things, item by item.

New Heart English Bible
Look, this have I found, says the Preacher, one to another, to find out the scheme;

Webster's Bible Translation
Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account:

World English Bible
“Behold, I have found this,” says the Preacher, “to one another, to find an explanation
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
See, this I have found, said the Preacher, one to one, to find out the reason

Young's Literal Translation
See, this I have found, said the Preacher, one to one, to find out the reason

Smith's Literal Translation
See, this I found, said the preacher: one to one to find understanding.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Lo this have I found, said Ecclesiastes, weighing one thing after another, that I might find out the account,

Catholic Public Domain Version
Behold, Ecclesiastes said, I have discovered these things, one after another, in order that I might discover the explanation

New American Bible
See, this have I found, says Qoheleth, adding one to one to find the sum.

New Revised Standard Version
See, this is what I found, says the Teacher, adding one thing to another to find the sum,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Behold, I have found this, says the Preacher, weighing one thing against another to find out the purposes,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
See this that I have found, says the Preacher, one by one, to find reasons
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Behold, this have I found, saith Koheleth, adding one thing to another, to find out the account;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Behold, this have I found, said the Preacher, seeking by one at a time to find out the account,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Limits of Human Wisdom
26And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is ensnared. 27“Behold,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find an explanation. 28While my soul was still searching but not finding, among a thousand I have found one upright man, but among all these I have not found one such woman.…

Cross References
Proverbs 7:25-27
Do not let your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths. / For she has brought many down to death; her slain are many in number. / Her house is the road to Sheol, descending to the chambers of death.

Proverbs 5:3-5
Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil, / in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a double-edged sword. / Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to Sheol.

Proverbs 2:16-19
It will rescue you from the forbidden woman, from the stranger with seductive words / who abandons the partner of her youth and forgets the covenant of her God. / For her house sinks down to death, and her tracks to the departed spirits. ...

Proverbs 6:24-26
to keep you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress. / Do not lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes. / For the levy of the prostitute is poverty, and the adulteress preys upon your very life.

Proverbs 9:13-18
The woman named Folly is loud; she is naive and knows nothing. / She sits at the door of her house, on a seat in the heights of the city, / calling out to those who pass by, who make their paths straight. ...

1 Kings 11:1-4
King Solomon, however, loved many foreign women along with the daughter of Pharaoh—women of Moab, Ammon, Edom, and Sidon, as well as Hittite women. / These women were from the nations about which the LORD had told the Israelites, “You must not intermarry with them, for surely they will turn your hearts after their gods.” Yet Solomon clung to these women in love. / He had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines—and his wives turned his heart away. ...

Nehemiah 13:26
Did not King Solomon of Israel sin in matters like this? There was not a king like him among many nations, and he was loved by his God, who made him king over all Israel—yet foreign women drew him into sin.

Genesis 3:12-13
And the man answered, “The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” / Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied, “and I ate.”

Judges 16:4-21
Some time later, Samson fell in love with a woman in the Valley of Sorek, whose name was Delilah. / The lords of the Philistines went to her and said, “Entice him and find out the source of his great strength and how we can overpower him to tie him up and subdue him. Then each one of us will give you eleven hundred shekels of silver.” / So Delilah said to Samson, “Please tell me the source of your great strength and how you can be tied up and subdued.” ...

1 Timothy 2:14
And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman who was deceived and fell into transgression.

1 Corinthians 7:28
But if you do marry, you have not sinned. And if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.

1 Corinthians 6:18
Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a man can commit is outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.

2 Corinthians 11:3
I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.

Revelation 2:20-23
But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols. / Even though I have given her time to repent of her immorality, she is unwilling. / Behold, I will cast her onto a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her will suffer great tribulation unless they repent of her deeds. ...

Matthew 5:28
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.


Treasury of Scripture

Behold, this have I found, said the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account:

saith

Ecclesiastes 1:1,2
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem…

Ecclesiastes 12:8-10
Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity…

Ecclesiastes 7:25
I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:

Jump to Previous
Account Adding Counting Discover Discovered Explanation Find Found Koheleth Laying Preacher Reason Scheme Searching Sum Teacher True.
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Account Adding Counting Discover Discovered Explanation Find Found Koheleth Laying Preacher Reason Scheme Searching Sum Teacher True.
Ecclesiastes 7
1. remedies against vanity are, a good name
2. mortification
7. patience
11. wisdom
23. The difficulty of wisdom














Behold
The word "Behold" is a call to attention, urging the reader to pause and consider the significance of what follows. In Hebrew, the word is "hinneh," often used to draw focus to a revelation or important truth. It serves as a divine spotlight, emphasizing the importance of the message. In the context of Ecclesiastes, it invites the reader to engage deeply with the wisdom being imparted.

I have discovered this
The phrase "I have discovered this" reflects a personal journey of exploration and understanding. The Hebrew root "matsa" implies finding something after a diligent search. This suggests that the Teacher, traditionally understood as Solomon, has engaged in a thorough investigation of life's mysteries. It underscores the value of seeking wisdom and truth through personal experience and reflection.

says the Teacher
"Says the Teacher" identifies the speaker as "Qoheleth," often translated as "the Preacher" or "the Teacher." This title indicates a role of authority and instruction, one who gathers and imparts wisdom. Historically, this is attributed to Solomon, known for his unparalleled wisdom. The Teacher's insights are not mere opinions but are presented as authoritative observations on the human condition.

while adding one thing to another
The phrase "while adding one thing to another" suggests a methodical and logical process of reasoning. The Hebrew concept here involves a systematic approach to understanding, akin to piecing together a puzzle. It reflects the Teacher's analytical nature, emphasizing the importance of careful consideration and synthesis of information to arrive at a coherent understanding.

to find an explanation
"To find an explanation" reveals the ultimate goal of the Teacher's quest: to uncover the meaning and purpose behind life's complexities. The Hebrew word "cheshbon" implies a deep, thoughtful calculation or reasoning. This pursuit of explanation is central to the book of Ecclesiastes, which grapples with profound questions about existence, purpose, and the divine order. It encourages readers to seek wisdom and understanding, trusting that God provides insight to those who diligently seek it.

Verse 27. - Behold, this have I found. The result of his search, thus forcibly introduced, follows in ver. 28. He has carefully examined the character and conduct of both sexes, and he is constrained to make the unsatisfactory remark which he there puts forth. Saith the preacher. Koheleth is here treated as a feminine noun, being joined with the feminine form of the verb, though elsewhere it is grammatically regarded as masculine (see on Ecclesiastes 1:1). Many have thought that, after speaking so disparagingly of woman, it would be singularly inappropriate to introduce the official preacher as a female; they have therefore adopted a slight alteration in the text, viz. אָמַר חַקֹּחֶלֶת instead of אָמְרָה קֹהֶלֶת, which is simply the transference of he from the end of one word to the beginning of the next, thus adding the article, as in Ecclesiastes 12:8, and making the term accord with the Syriac and Arabic, and the Septuagint, εϊπεν ὁ Ἐκκλησιαστής. The writer here introduces his own designation in order to call special attention to what is coming. Counting one by one. The phrase is elliptical, and signifies, adding one thing to another, or weighing one thing after another, putting together various facts or marks. To find out the account; to arrive at the reckoning, the desired result.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“Behold,”
רְאֵה֙ (rə·’êh)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 7200: To see

says
אָמְרָ֖ה (’ā·mə·rāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

the Teacher,
קֹהֶ֑לֶת (qō·he·leṯ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6953: Preacher -- 'a collector (of sentences)', 'a preacher', a son of David

“I have discovered
מָצָ֔אתִי (mā·ṣā·ṯî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 4672: To come forth to, appear, exist, to attain, find, acquire, to occur, meet, be present

this
זֶ֣ה (zeh)
Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

by adding one
אַחַ֥ת (’a·ḥaṯ)
Number - feminine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

thing to another
לְאַחַ֖ת (lə·’a·ḥaṯ)
Preposition-l | Number - feminine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

to find
לִמְצֹ֥א (lim·ṣō)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 4672: To come forth to, appear, exist, to attain, find, acquire, to occur, meet, be present

an explanation.
חֶשְׁבּֽוֹן׃ (ḥeš·bō·wn)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2808: Contrivance, intelligence


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OT Poetry: Ecclesiastes 7:27 Behold this have I found says (Ecclesiast. Ec Ecc Eccles.)
Ecclesiastes 7:26
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