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Thursday, October 3rd, 2024
the Week of Proper 21 / Ordinary 26
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Updated Bible Version

Ecclesiastes 7:20

Surely there is not [a] righteous man on earth, that does good, and does not sin.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Depravity of Man;   Perfection;   Wisdom;   Scofield Reference Index - Righteousness;   Thompson Chain Reference - Error;   Human;   Imperfection, Human;   Man;   Perfection-Imperfection;   Self-Justification;   Self-Justification-Self-Condemnation;   Sin;   Sin-Saviour;   Transgression;   Universal;   The Topic Concordance - Goodness;   Sin;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Fall of Man, the;   Law of God, the;   Sin;  

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Works, Good;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Sanctification;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ecclesiastes, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Sin;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Quotations;   Scripture;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Atonement;   Death, Views and Customs Concerning;   Judaism;   Repentance;   Sin;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for April 12;   Every Day Light - Devotion for August 31;  

Parallel Translations

Legacy Standard Bible
Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For there is not one iust vpon earth that doth good, and sinneth not.
Darby Translation
Surely there is not a righteous man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not.
New King James Version
For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin.
Literal Translation
For there is not a just man on the earth who does good, and does not sin.
World English Bible
Surely there is not a righteous man on earth, who does good and doesn't sin.
King James Version (1611)
For there is not a iust man vpon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
King James Version
For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
for there is not one iust vpo earth, yt doth good, & sinneth not.
THE MESSAGE
There's not one totally good person on earth, Not one who is truly pure and sinless.
Amplified Bible
Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who always does good and who never sins.
American Standard Version
Surely there is not a righteous man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
Bible in Basic English
There is no man on earth of such righteousness that he does good and is free from sin all his days.
Webster's Bible Translation
For [there is] not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
New English Translation
For there is not one truly righteous person on the earth who continually does good and never sins.
Contemporary English Version
No one in this world always does right.
Complete Jewish Bible
For there isn't a righteous person on earth who does [only] good and never sins.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Surely there is no man iust in the earth, that doeth good and sinneth not.
George Lamsa Translation
For there is no just man upon the earth, that does good, and sins not.
Hebrew Names Version
Surely there is not a righteous man on eretz, who does good and doesn't sin.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
For there is not a righteous man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
New Living Translation
Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins.
New Life Bible
For sure there is not a right and good man on earth who always does good and never sins.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Wisdom will help the wise man more than ten mighty men which are in the city.
English Revised Version
Surely there is not a righteous man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
Berean Standard Bible
Surely there is no righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
New Revised Standard
Surely there is no one on earth so righteous as to do good without ever sinning.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For, as for men, there is none righteous in the earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
Douay-Rheims Bible
(7-21) For there is no just man upon earth, that doth good, and sinneth not.
Lexham English Bible
Surely there is no one righteous on the earth who continually does good and never sins.
English Standard Version
Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
New American Standard Bible
Indeed, there is not a righteous person on earth who always does good and does not ever sin.
New Century Version
Surely there is not a good person on earth who always does good and never sins.
Good News Translation
There is no one on earth who does what is right all the time and never makes a mistake.
Christian Standard Bible®
There is certainly no righteous man on the earth who does good and never sins.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe no iust man is in erthe, that doith good, and synneth not.
Revised Standard Version
Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
Young's Literal Translation
Because there is not a righteous man on earth that doth good and sinneth not.

Contextual Overview

11 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance; yes, more excellent is it for those that see the sun. 12 For wisdom is a defense, even as money is a defense; but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom preserves the life of him that has it. 13 Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he has made crooked? 14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yes, God has made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything [that shall be] after him. 15 All this I have seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man that perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongs [his life] in his evil-doing. 16 Don't be overly righteous; neither make yourself overly wise: why should you destroy yourself? 17 Don't be overly wicked, neither be foolish: why should you die before your time? 18 It is good that you should take hold of this; yes, also from that do not withdraw your hand: for he that fears God shall come forth from them all. 19 Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers that are in a city. 20 Surely there is not [a] righteous man on earth, that does good, and does not sin.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

there: 1 Kings 8:46, 2 Chronicles 6:36, Job 15:14-16, Psalms 130:3, Psalms 143:2, Proverbs 20:9, Isaiah 53:6, Romans 3:23, James 3:2, 1 John 1:8-10

doeth: Isaiah 64:6

Reciprocal: Genesis 6:9 - just Genesis 8:21 - the imagination Genesis 9:21 - and was Genesis 20:2 - said Leviticus 13:6 - wash Leviticus 13:39 - if the bright 1 Samuel 20:34 - in fierce 2 Kings 20:13 - there was nothing Job 4:17 - Shall mortal Psalms 119:96 - I have seen Isaiah 39:2 - there was Daniel 9:20 - confessing John 13:10 - needeth Acts 15:39 - the contention Romans 3:12 - there is none Romans 7:15 - what Romans 7:23 - another Galatians 2:13 - the other Galatians 3:11 - that Galatians 5:17 - the flesh Philippians 3:9 - not

Cross-References

Psalms 104:6
You covered it with the deep as with a vesture; The waters stood above the mountains.
Jeremiah 3:23
Truly, delusion comes from the hills, the tumult on the mountains: [but] truly in Yahweh our God is the salvation of Israel.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For [there is] not a just man upon earth,.... Or "although", or "notwithstanding" d, wisdom is so beneficial, and guards and strengthens a good man, yet no man has such a share of it as to live without sin; there was not then one on earth, there never had been, one, nor never would be, nor has been, excepting the man Christ Jesus; who indeed, as man, was perfectly just, while here on earth, and went about doing good, and never sinned in all his life; but this cannot be said of any other, no, not of one that is truly and really just; not externally and in his own opinion only, but who is made so by the obedience of Christ, or by his righteousness imputed to him, while he is here on earth; otherwise in heaven, where the spirits of just men are made perfect, there it may be said of them what follows, but nowhere else;

that doeth good, and sinneth not; it is the character of a just man to do good, to do that which is according to the will of God, from a principle of love to him, through faith in him, in the name and strength of Christ, and with a view to the glory of God; to do good in such a sense wicked men cannot; only such who are made good by the grace of God, are regenerated and made new creatures in Christ, are quickened by his Spirit, and are true believers in him; who appear to be what they are, by the fruits of good works they bring forth; and this not in a mercenary way, or in order to obtain life and righteousness, but as constrained by the grace of God, by which they are freely justified; and yet these are not free from sin, as appears by their confessions and complaints, by their backslidings, slips, and falls, and their petitions for fresh discoveries of pardoning grace; and even are not without sin, and the commission of it, in religious duties, or while they are doing good; hence their righteousness is said to be as filthy rags, and mention is made of the iniquity of holy things, Isaiah 64:6. The Targum is,

"that does good all his days, and sins not before the Lord.''

Aben Ezra justly gives the sense thus,

"who does good always, and never sins;''

and observes that there are none but sin in thought, word, or deed. The poet e says,

"to sin is common to all men;''

no man, though ever so good, is perfect on earth, or free from sin; see 1 Kings 8:46. Alshech's paraphrase is,

"there is not a righteous man on earth, that does good, and sins not; בטוב ההוא, "in that good";''

which is the true sense of the words.

d כי "quamvis", Junius Tremelllus, Amama, so Broughton "attamen", Grotius. e Sophoclis Antigone, v. 1140.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The connection of this verse with Ecclesiastes 7:18-19 becomes clearer if it is borne in mind that the fear of God, wisdom, and justice, are merely different sides of one and the same character, the formation of which is the aim of all the precepts in this chapter. The words “just” Ecclesiastes 7:15, Ecclesiastes 7:20 and “righteous” Ecclesiastes 7:16 are exactly the same in Hebrew.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 20. There is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. — לא יחטא lo yechta, that may not sin. There is not a man upon earth, however just he may be, and habituated to do good, but is peccable-liable to commit sin; and therefore should continually watch and pray, and depend upon the Lord. But the text does not say, the just man does commit sin, but simply that he may sin; and so our translators have rendered it in 1 Samuel 2:25, twice in 1 Kings 8:31; 1 Kings 8:46, and 2 Chronicles 6:36; and the reader is requested to consult the note on 1 Kings 8:46, where the proper construction of this word may be found, and the doctrine in question is fully considered.


 
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