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Read the Bible

New King James Version

Ecclesiastes 1:18

For in much wisdom is much grief, And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Instruction;   Investigation;   Wisdom;   Thompson Chain Reference - Knowledge;   Knowledge-Ignorance;   The Topic Concordance - Knowledge;   Sorrow;   Wisdom;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Vanity;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ecclesiastes, Book of;   Poetry;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Winter ;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for August 9;   Every Day Light - Devotion for October 2;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
For with much wisdom is much sorrow;as knowledge increases, grief increases.
Hebrew Names Version
For in much wisdom is much grief; and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
King James Version
For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
English Standard Version
For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
New American Standard Bible
Because in much wisdom there is much grief; and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.
New Century Version
With much wisdom comes much disappointment; the person who gains more knowledge also gains more sorrow.
Amplified Bible
For in much [human] wisdom there is much displeasure and exasperation; increasing knowledge increases sorrow.
World English Bible
For in much wisdom is much grief; and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
Geneva Bible (1587)
For in the multitude of wisedome is much griefe: and he that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorowe.
Legacy Standard Bible
Because in much wisdom there is much vexation, and whoever increases knowledge increases pain.
Berean Standard Bible
For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, and as knowledge grows, grief increases.
Contemporary English Version
The more you know, the more you hurt; the more you understand, the more you suffer.
Complete Jewish Bible
For in much wisdom is much grief; the more knowledge, the more suffering.
Darby Translation
For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
Easy-to-Read Version
With much wisdom comes frustration. The one who gains more wisdom also gains more sorrow.
George Lamsa Translation
Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
Good News Translation
The wiser you are, the more worries you have; the more you know, the more it hurts.
Lexham English Bible
For in much wisdom is much frustration, and whoever increases knowledge increases sorrow.
Literal Translation
For in much wisdom is much grief; and he who increases knowledge increases pain.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
for where moch wy?dome is, there is also greate trauayle & disquietnes: & ye more knowlege a man hath, the more is his care.
American Standard Version
For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
Bible in Basic English
Because in much wisdom is much grief, and increase of knowledge is increase of sorrow.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
For in much wisdom is much vexation; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
King James Version (1611)
For in much wisedome is much griefe: and hee that increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For where much wisdome is, there is also great trauayle and disquietnesse: and the more knowledge a man hath, the more is his care.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For in the abundance of wisdom is abundance of knowledge; and he that increases knowledge will increase sorrow.
English Revised Version
For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
for in myche wisdom is myche indignacioun, and he that encressith kunnyng, encreessith also trauel.
Update Bible Version
For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increases knowledge increases sorrow.
Webster's Bible Translation
For in much wisdom [is] much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
New English Translation
For with great wisdom comes great frustration; whoever increases his knowledge merely increases his heartache.
New Living Translation
The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow.
New Life Bible
Because in much wisdom there is much trouble. And he who gets much learning gets much sorrow.
New Revised Standard
For in much wisdom is much vexation, and those who increase knowledge increase sorrow.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For, in much wisdom, is much vexation, - and, he that increaseth knowledge, increaseth pain.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Because in much wisdom there is much indignation: and he that addeth knowledge, addeth also labour.
Revised Standard Version
For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
Young's Literal Translation
for, in abundance of wisdom [is] abundance of sadness, and he who addeth knowledge addeth pain.'
THE MESSAGE
Much learning earns you much trouble. The more you know, the more you hurt.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.

Contextual Overview

12 I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised. 14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind. 15 What is crooked cannot be made straight, And what is lacking cannot be numbered. 16 I communed with my heart, saying, "Look, I have attained greatness, and have gained more wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My heart has understood great wisdom and knowledge." 17 And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind. 18 For in much wisdom is much grief, And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

For in: Ecclesiastes 2:15, Ecclesiastes 7:16, Ecclesiastes 12:12, Ecclesiastes 12:13, Job 28:28, 1 Corinthians 3:18-20, James 3:13-17

Reciprocal: Ecclesiastes 1:14 - General Ecclesiastes 6:11 - General Daniel 10:16 - my sorrows

Cross-References

Psalms 19:6
Its rising is from one end of heaven, And its circuit to the other end; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.
Jeremiah 31:35
Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day, The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, And its waves roar (The LORD of hosts is His name):

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For in much wisdom [is] much grief,.... In getting it, and losing it when it is gotten: or "indignation" t, at himself and others; being more sensible of the follies and weakness of human nature;

and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow: for, the more he knows, the more he would know, and is more eager after it, and puts himself to more pains and trouble to acquire it; and hereby becomes more and more sensible of his own ignorance; and of the difficulty of attaining the knowledge he would come at; and of the insufficiency of it to make him easy and happy: and besides, the more knowledge he has, the more envy it draws upon him from others, who set themselves to oppose him, and detract from his character; in short, this is the sum of all human knowledge and wisdom, attained to in the highest degree; instead of making men comfortable and happy, it is found to be mere vanity, to cause vexation and disquietude of mind, and to promote grief and sorrow. There is indeed wisdom and knowledge opposite to this, and infinitely more excellent, and which, the more it is increased, the more joy and comfort it brings; and this is wisdom in the hidden part; a spiritual and experimental knowledge of Christ, and of God in Christ, and of divine and evangelical truths; but short of this knowledge there is no true peace, comfort, and happiness. The Targum is,

"for a man who multiplies wisdom, when he sins and does not turn by repentance, he multiplies indignation from the Lord; and he who increases knowledge, and dies in his youth, increases grief of heart to those who are near akin to him.''

t רב כעס "multa ira", Pagninus, Montanus; "indignatio", V. L. Tigurine version, Vatablus, Drusius; "multum indignationis", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

We become more sensible of our ignorance and impotence, and therefore sorrowful, in proportion as we discover more of the constitution of nature and the scheme of Providence in the government of the world; every discovery serving to convince us that more remains concealed of which we had no suspicion before.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ecclesiastes 1:18. For in much wisdom is much grief — The more we know of ourselves the less satisfied shall we be with our own hearts; and the more we know of mankind the less willing shall we be to trust them, and the less shall we admire them.

He that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. — And why so? Because, independently of God, the principal objects of knowledge are natural and moral evils.

The Targum gives a curious paraphrase here: "The man who multiplies wisdom, when he sins and is not converted to repentance, multiplies the indignation of God against himself; and the man who adds science, and yet dies in his childhood, adds grief of heart to his relatives." A man in science; a foolish child in conduct. How pained must they be who had the expense of his education! But there are many men-children of this sort in every age and country.


 
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