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Ecclesiastes 7:22-24
New English Translation
Ecclesiastes 7:22-24
New English Translation
22 For you know in your own heart[a]
that you also have cursed others many times.
Human Wisdom is Limited
23 I have examined all this by wisdom;
I said, “I am determined[b] to comprehend this”[c]—but it was beyond my grasp.[d]
24 Whatever has happened is beyond human[e] understanding;[f]
it is far deeper than anyone can fathom.[g]
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 7:22 tn Heb “your heart knows.”
- Ecclesiastes 7:23 tn The cohortative אֶחְכָּמָה (ʾekhkamah, from חָכַם, khakham, “to be wise”) emphasizes the resolve (determination) of Qoheleth to become wise enough to understand the perplexities of life.
- Ecclesiastes 7:23 tn Or “I am determined to become wise”
- Ecclesiastes 7:23 tn Or “but it eluded me”; Heb “but it was far from me.”
- Ecclesiastes 7:24 tn The word “human” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Ecclesiastes 7:24 tn Heb “is far away.”
- Ecclesiastes 7:24 tn Heb “It is deep, deep—who can find it?” The repetition of the word “deep” emphasizes the degree of incomprehensibility. See IBHS 233-34 §12.5a.
New English Translation (NET)
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