Ecclesiastes 7:16

New King James Version

Do not be overly righteous, Nor be overly wise: Why should you destroy yourself?

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version
Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?

Geneva Bible (1587)
Be not thou iust ouermuch, neither make thy selfe ouerwise: wherefore shouldest thou be desolate?

Christian Standard Bible®
Don’t be excessively righteous, and don’t be overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself?

Hebrew Names Version
Don't be overly righteous, neither make yourself overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself?

Darby Translation
Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thyself overwise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?

Easy-to-Read Version
So why ruin your life? Don't be too good or too bad, and don't be too wise or too foolish. Why should you die before your time?

Amplified Bible
Do not be excessively righteous [like those given to self-conceit], and do not be overly wise (pretentious)—why should you bring yourself to ruin?

American Standard Version
Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thyself overwise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?

Contemporary English Version
So don't destroy yourself by being too good or acting too smart!

Complete Jewish Bible
So don't be overly righteous or overly wise; why should you disappoint yourself?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thyself overwise; why shouldest thou destroy thyself?

King James Version (1611)
Be not righteous ouer much, neither make thy selfe ouer wise: why shouldest thou destroy thy selfe?

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
I have seen all things in the days of my vanity: there is a just man perishing in his justice, and there is an ungodly man remaining in his wickedness.

English Revised Version
Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?

Berean Standard Bible
Do not be overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?

Lexham English Bible
Do not be excessively righteous, and do not act excessively wise, lest you destroy yourself.

Literal Translation
Do not be too much righteous, nor make yourself overly wise; why destroy yourself?

New Century Version
Don't be too right, and don't be too wise. Why destroy yourself?

New English Translation
So do not be excessively righteous or excessively wise; otherwise you might be disappointed.

New Living Translation
So don't be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself?

New Life Bible
Do not be too right and good, and do not be too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?

New Revised Standard
Do not be too righteous, and do not act too wise; why should you destroy yourself?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Do not become so very righteous, neither count thyself wise beyond measure, - wherefore shouldst thou destroy thyself?

Douay-Rheims Bible
(7-17) Be not over just: and be not more wise than is necessary, lest thou become stupid.

George Lamsa Translation
Be not overrighteous; neither make yourself overwise; lest you should become stupid.

Good News Translation
So don't be too good or too wise—why kill yourself

New American Standard Bible
Do not be excessively righteous, and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself?

King James Version
Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself ?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Therfore be thou neither to righteous nor ouer wyse, that thou perishe not.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Nyle thou be iust myche, nether vndurstonde thou more than is nedeful; lest thou be astonyed.

Young's Literal Translation
Be not over-righteous, nor show thyself too wise, why art thou desolate?

World English Bible
Don't be overly righteous, neither make yourself overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself?

Revised Standard Version
Be not righteous overmuch, and do not make yourself overwise; why should you destroy yourself?

Update Bible Version
Don't be overly righteous; neither make yourself overly wise: why should you destroy yourself?

Webster's Bible Translation
Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldst thou destroy thyself?

Bible in Basic English
Be not given overmuch to righteousness and be not over-wise. Why let destruction come on you?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Therfore be thou nether to rightuous ner ouer wyse, yt thou perish not:

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Do not be excessively righteous and do not be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself?

Legacy Standard Bible
Do not be excessively righteous, and do not be overly wise. Why should you make yourself desolate?

Contextual Overview

¹¹ Wisdom is good with an inheritance, And profitable to those who see the sun. ¹² For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it. ¹³ Consider the work of God; For who can make straight what He has made crooked? ¹⁴ In the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, So that man can find out nothing that will come after him. ¹⁵ I have seen everything in my days of vanity: There is a just man who perishes in his righteousness, And there is a wicked man who prolongs life in his wickedness. ¹⁶ Do not be overly righteous, Nor be overly wise: Why should you destroy yourself? ¹⁷ Do not be overly wicked, Nor be foolish: Why should you die before your time? ¹⁸ It is good that you grasp this, And also not remove your hand from the other; For he who fears God will escape them all. ¹⁹ Wisdom strengthens the wise More than ten rulers of the city. ²⁰ For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Be not: This verse is probably the language of an ungodly man; to which Solomon answers, as in the following verse, "Do not multiply wickedness; do not add direct opposition to godliness, to the rest of your crimes. Why should you provoke God to destroy you before your time?" Proverbs 25:16, Matthew 6:1-7, Matthew 9:14, Matthew 15:2-9, Matthew 23:5, Matthew 23:23, Matthew 23:24, Matthew 23:29, Luke 18:12, Romans 10:2, Philippians 3:6, 1 Timothy 4:3

neither: Ecclesiastes 12:12, Genesis 3:6, Job 11:12, Job 28:28, Proverbs 23:4, Romans 11:25, Romans 12:3, 1 Corinthians 3:18, 1 Corinthians 3:20, Colossians 2:18, Colossians 2:23, James 3:13-17

destroy thyself: Heb. be desolate, Matthew 23:38, Revelation 18:19

Reciprocal: Ecclesiastes 1:18 - For in

Cross-References

Genesis 7:1
Luke 17:26,27">[xr] Then the LORD said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.

Genesis 7:2
You shall take with you seven each of every clean animal, a male and his female; two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female;

Genesis 7:3
also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep the species alive on the face of all the earth.

Genesis 7:4
For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made."

Genesis 7:5
And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him.

Genesis 7:10
And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth.

Deuteronomy 33:27
The eternal God is your refuge, And underneath are the everlasting arms; He will thrust out the enemy from before you, And will say, "Destroy!'

Psalms 46:2
Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;

Proverbs 3:23
Then you will walk safely in your way, And your foot will not stumble.

Matthew 25:10
And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Be not righteous over much,.... This is not meant of true and real righteousness, even moral righteousness, a man cannot be too holy or too righteous; but of a show and ostentation of righteousness, and of such who would be thought to be more righteous and holy than others, and therefore despise those who, as they imagine, do not come up to them; and are very rigid and censorious in their judgment of others, and very severe in their reproofs of them; and, that they may appear very righteous persons, will do more than what the law requires of them to do, even works of supererogation, as the Pharisees formerly, and Papists now, pretend, and abstain from the lawful use of things which God has given to be enjoyed; and macerate their bodies by abstinence, fastings, pilgrimages, penance, scourges, and the like, as the Eremites among the Christians, and the Turks, as Aben Ezra on the place observes; and many there be, who, by an imprudent zeal for what they judge right, and which sometimes are mere trifles, and by unseasonable reproofs for what is wrong, expose themselves to resentment and danger. Some understand this of political and punitive justice, exercising it in too strict and rigorous a manner, according to the maxim, "summum jus saepe summa injuria est" w; and Schultens x, from the use of the word in the Arabic language, renders it, "be not too rigid"; and others, in a contrary sense, of too much mercy and pity to offenders. So the Midrash; and Jarchi illustrates it by the case of Saul, who had mercy on the wicked, and spared Agag. The Targum is,

"be not over righteous at a time that a sinner is found guilty of slaughter in thy court of judicature, that thou shouldest spare and not kill him;''

neither make thyself over wise; above what is written, or pretend to be wiser than others. So the Arabic version, "show not too much wisdom"; do not affect, as not to be more righteous than others, so not more wise, by finding fault with present times, or with the dispensations of Providence, or with the manners and conduct of men; setting up for a critic and a censurer of men and things; or do not pry into things, and seek after a knowledge of them, which are out of your reach, and beyond your capacity;

why shouldest thou destroy thyself? either by living too strictly and abstemiously, or by studying too closely, or by behaving in such a manner to men, as that they will seek thy destruction, and bring it on thee: or "why shouldest thou", or "whereby", or "lest, thou shouldest be stupid" y; lose thy sense and reason, as persons who study the knowledge of things they have not a capacity for: or why shouldest thou become foolish in the eyes of all men by thy conduct and behaviour? or, "why shouldest thou be desolate" z; alone, and nobody care to have any conversation and acquaintance with thee?

w Terent. Heautont. Act. 4. Sc. 4. x De Defect. Hod. Ling. Heb. s. 230. y למה תשומם "ut quid obstupesces?" Vatablus, Amama; "cur obstupesces?" Mercerus; "cur in stuporem te dares?" Cocceius; "qua teipsum stupidum facies?" Tigurine version; "ne obstupescas", V. L. so Sept. and Syriac versions. z "Ne quid desolaberis?" Pagninus, Montanus; "quare desolationem tibi accerseres?" Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Gejerus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The days of my vanity - This does not imply that those days of vanity were ended (see Ecclesiastes 1:12 note).

The meaning may be best explained by a paraphrase. Solomon states how the wise man should regard the “crooked Ecclesiastes 7:13 work of God” when it bears upon him. He says in effect, “Do not think that thou couldest alter the two instances (described in Ecclesiastes 7:15) of such crooked work so as to make it straight, that thou art more righteous or more wise than He is Who ordained these events. To set up thy judgment in opposition to His would imply an excess of wickedness and folly, deserving the punishment of premature death. But rather it is good for thee to grasp these seeming anomalies; if thou ponder them they will tend to impress on thee that fear of God which is a part of wisdom, and will guide thee safely through all the perplexities of this life” (compare Ecclesiastes 8:12-13). The suggestion that these verses are intended to advocate a middle course between sin and virtue is at variance with the whole tenor of the book.

Ecclesiastes 7:16

Destroy thyself - The Septuagint and Vulgate render it: “be amazed.” Compare “marvel not” Ecclesiastes 5:8.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 16. Why shouldest thou destroy thyself? — תשומם tishshomem, make thyself desolate, so that thou shalt be obliged to stand alone; neither make thyself over-wise, תתחכם tithchaccam, do not pretend to abundance of wisdom. Why shouldest thou be so singular? In other words, and in modern language, "There is no need of all this watching, fasting, praying, self-denial, &c., you carry things to extremes. Why should you wish to be reputed singular and precise?" To this the man of God answers: