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Saturday, October 5th, 2024
the Week of Proper 21 / Ordinary 26
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Updated Bible Version

Ecclesiastes 5:2

Don't be rash with your mouth, and don't let your heart be in a hurry to utter anything before God; for God is in heaven, and you are on earth: therefore let your words be few.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Heaven;   Humility;   Prayer;   Rashness;   Worship;   Thompson Chain Reference - Prayer;   Prudence-Rashness;   Rashness;   The Topic Concordance - God;   Haste;   Speech/communication;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Prayer;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Presence of God;   Word;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Incomprehensibility of God;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Man;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ecclesiastes, the Book of;   Jephthah;   Joshua;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Council, Heavenly;   Ecclesiastes, Book of;   Israel, History of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ecclesiastes;   Evil;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Sirach;   Temple (2);  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Ḳorban;   Rahab;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for June 30;   Every Day Light - Devotion for September 14;  

Parallel Translations

Legacy Standard Bible
Do not be hasty with your mouth or impulsive in your heart to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven but you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Be not hastye with thy mouth, and let not thine heart speake any thyng rashly before God: For God is in heauen, and thou vpon earth, therfore let thy wordes be fewe.
Darby Translation
Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter anything before God: for God is in the heavens, and thou upon earth; therefore let thy words be few.
New King James Version
Do not be rash with your mouth, And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven, and you on earth; Therefore let your words be few.
Literal Translation
Do not be hasty with your mouth, and do not let your heart hurry to bring forth a word before God. For God is in Heaven, and you are on earth; on account of this, let your words be few.
Easy-to-Read Version
Be careful when you make promises to God. Be careful about what you say to him. Don't let your feelings cause you to speak too soon. God is in heaven, and you are on the earth. So you need to say only a few things to him. This saying is true:
World English Bible
Don't be rash with your mouth, and don't let your heart be hasty to utter anything before God; for God is in heaven, and you on earth. Therefore let your words be few.
King James Version (1611)
Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to vtter any thing before God: for God is in heauen, and thou vpon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
King James Version
Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Be not hastie with thy mouth, & let not thine hert speake eny thige rashly before God. For God is in heauen, & thou vpon earth, therfore let thy wordes be fewe.
THE MESSAGE
Don't shoot off your mouth, or speak before you think. Don't be too quick to tell God what you think he wants to hear. God's in charge, not you—the less you speak, the better.
Amplified Bible
Do not be hasty with your mouth [speaking careless words or vows] or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter before God. For God is in heaven and you are on earth; therefore let your words be few.
American Standard Version
Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter anything before God; for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
Bible in Basic English
Be not unwise with your mouth, and let not your heart be quick to say anything before God, because God is in heaven and you are on the earth--so let not the number of your words be great.
Webster's Bible Translation
Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter [any] thing before God: for God [is] in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
New English Translation
Do not be rash with your mouth or hasty in your heart to bring up a matter before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth! Therefore, let your words be few.
Contemporary English Version
Don't talk before you think or make promises to God without thinking them through. God is in heaven, and you are on earth, so don't talk too much.
Complete Jewish Bible
For nightmares come from worrying too much; and a fool, when he speaks, chatters too much.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Be not rash with thy mouth, nor let thine heart be hastie to vtter a thing before God: for God is in the heauens, and thou art on the earth: therefore let thy wordes be fewe.
George Lamsa Translation
Be not rash with your mouth, and let not your heart be hasty to utter a word before God; for God is in heaven, and you upon earth; therefore let your words be few.
Hebrew Names Version
Don't be rash with your mouth, and don't let your heart be hasty to utter anything before God; for God is in heaven, and you on eretz. Therefore let your words be few.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
For a dream cometh through a multitude of business; and a fool's voice through a multitude of words.
New Living Translation
Don't make rash promises, and don't be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few.
New Life Bible
Do not hurry to speak or be in a hurry as you think what to tell God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth. So let your words be few.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For through the multitude of trial a dream comes; and a fool’s voice is with a multitude of words.
English Revised Version
Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God; for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
Berean Standard Bible
Do not be quick to speak, and do not let your heart hastily utter a word before God. After all, God is in heaven and you are on earth. So let your words be few.
New Revised Standard
Never be rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be quick to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven, and you upon earth; therefore let your words be few.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Be not rash with thy mouth, and, with thy heart, be not in haste to bring forth a word, before God, - for, God, is in the heavens, and, thou, upon the earth, for this cause, let thy words be few.
Douay-Rheims Bible
(5-1) Speak not any thing rashly, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter a word before God. For God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
Lexham English Bible
Do not be rash with your mouth, and do not let your heart be quick to utter a word before God. For God is in heaven, and you are on earth; therefore, let your words be few.
English Standard Version
Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.
New American Standard Bible
Do not be quick with your mouth or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few.
New Century Version
Think before you speak, and be careful about what you say to God. God is in heaven, and you are on the earth, so say only a few words to God.
Good News Translation
Think before you speak, and don't make any rash promises to God. He is in heaven and you are on earth, so don't say any more than you have to.
Christian Standard Bible®
Do not be hasty to speak, and do not be impulsive to make a speech before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Speke thou not ony thing folily, nether thin herte be swift to brynge forth a word bifore God; for God is in heuene, and thou art on erthe, therfor thi wordis be fewe.
Revised Standard Version
Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven, and you upon earth; therefore let your words be few.
Young's Literal Translation
Cause not thy mouth to hasten, and let not thy heart hasten to bring out a word before God, for God is in the heavens, and thou on the earth, therefore let thy words be few.

Contextual Overview

1 Keep your foot when you go to the house of God; for to draw near to hear is better than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they don't even know how to do evil. 2 Don't be rash with your mouth, and don't let your heart be in a hurry to utter anything before God; for God is in heaven, and you are on earth: therefore let your words be few. 3 For a dream comes with a multitude of business, and a fool's voice with a multitude of words.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

not rash: Genesis 18:27, Genesis 18:30, Genesis 18:32, Genesis 28:20, Genesis 28:22, Numbers 30:2-5, Judges 11:30, 1 Samuel 14:24-45, Mark 6:23

thing: or, word

for: Psalms 115:3, Isaiah 55:9, Matthew 6:9, let thy, Ecclesiastes 5:3, Ecclesiastes 5:7, Proverbs 10:19, Matthew 6:7, James 3:2

Reciprocal: Leviticus 5:4 - to do evil Joshua 9:18 - had sworn Judges 11:35 - have opened Judges 21:1 - There 1 Kings 8:30 - and hear 2 Chronicles 6:21 - thy dwelling place Nehemiah 10:28 - every one Job 22:12 - not God Job 31:30 - mouth Proverbs 15:28 - heart Proverbs 29:20 - Seest Ecclesiastes 5:6 - thy mouth Matthew 14:9 - the oath's Matthew 15:9 - in Luke 11:2 - When James 1:19 - slow to speak

Cross-References

Genesis 1:27
And God created the man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Genesis 2:15
And Yahweh God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
Genesis 2:23
And the man said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called a woman, because she was taken out of a man.
Malachi 2:15
And did he not make one, although he had the residue of the Spirit? And why one? He sought a godly seed. Therefore take heed to your spirit, and let none deal treacherously against the wife of his youth.
Matthew 19:4
And he answered and said, Have you not read that he who created from the beginning made them male and female,
Mark 10:6
But from the beginning of the creation, Male and female he made them.
Acts 17:26
and he made of one every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined [their] appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation;

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter [any] thing before God,.... In private conversation care should be taken that no rash and unadvised words be spoken in haste, as were by Moses and David; and that no evil, nor even any idle word he uttered, since from, the abundance of the heart the mouth is apt to speak, and all is before, the Lord; not a word in the tongue but is altogether known by him, and must be accounted for to him,

Psalms 106:33. Jerom interprets this of words spoken concerning God; and careful men should be of what they say of him, of his nature and perfections, of his persons, and of his works; and it may be applied to a public profession of his name, and of faith in him; though this should be done with the heart, yet the heart and tongue should not be rash and hasty in making it; men should consider what they profess and confess, and upon what foot they take up and make a profession of religion; whether they have the true grace of God or no: and it will hold true of the public ministry of the word, in which everything that comes uppermost in the mind, or what is crude and undigested, should not be, uttered; but what ministers have thought of, meditated on, well weighed in their minds, and properly digested. Some understand this of rash vows, such as Jephthah's, is supposed to be, which are later repented of; but rather speaking unto God in prayer is intended. So the Targum,

"thy, heart shall not hasten to bring out speech at the time thou prayest before the Lord;''

anything and everything that comes up into the mind should not be, uttered before God; not anything rashly and hastily; men should consider before they speak to the King of kings; for though set precomposed forms of prayer are not to be used, yet the matter of prayer should be thought of beforehand; what our wants are, and what we should ask for; whether for ourselves or others; this rule I fear we often offend against: the reasons follow;

for God [is] in heaven, and thou upon earth; his throne is in the heavens, he dwells in the highest heavens, though they cannot contain him; this is expressive of his majesty, sovereignty, and supremacy, and of his omniscience and omnipotence; he is the high and lofty One, that dwells in the high and holy place; he is above all, and sees and knows all persons and things; and he sits in the heavens, and does whatever he pleases; and therefore all should stand in awe of him, and consider what they say unto him. Our Lord seems to have respect to this passage when he directed his disciples to pray, saying, "Our Father, which art in heaven", Matthew 6:9; and when we pray to him we should think what we ourselves are, that we are on the earth, the footstool of God; that we are of the earth, earthly; dwell in houses of clay, which have their foundation in the dust; crawling worms on earth, unworthy of his notice; are but dust and ashes, who take upon us to speak unto him;

therefore let, by words be few; of which prayer consists; such was the prayer of the publican, "God, be merciful to me, a sinner", Luke 18:13; and such the prayer which Christ has given as a pattern and directory to his people; who has forbid vain repetitions and much speaking in prayer, Matthew 6:7; not that all lengthy prayers are to be condemned, or all repetitions in them; our Lord was all night in prayer himself; and Nehemiah, Daniel, and others, have used repetitions in prayer, which may be done with fresh affection, zeal, and fervency; but such are forbidden as are done for the sake of being heard for much speaking, as the Heathens; and who thought they were not understood unless they said a thing a hundred times over p; or when done to gain a character of being more holy and religious than others, as the Pharisees.

p "Ohe jam desine deos obtundere----Ut nihil credas intelligere, nisi idem dictum eat centies." Terent. Heautont. Act. 5. Sc. 1. v. 6, 8.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ecclesiastes 5:2. Be not rash with thy mouth — Do not hasten with thy mouth; weigh thy words, feel deeply, think much, speak little.

"When ye approach his altar, on your lips

Set strictest guard; and let your thoughts be pure,

Fervent, and recollected. Thus prepared,

Send up the silent breathings of your souls,

Submissive to his will." C.


 
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