myBibleHistory

Journey of a Passage

Ecclesiastes 7:15–20

"Be not righteous over much"

The righteous perish and the wicked live long (v. 15); so "be not righteous over much… be not over much wicked" (vv. 16–17); the one who fears God comes through (v. 18); "there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not" (v. 20). The witnesses agree on the wording; the meaning of v. 16 is one of the book's great debates. Paul's "there is none righteous" (Romans 3:10) may echo v. 20.

Stable text: no manuscript differences in meaning

The family tree

Each row is a language or text tradition. Witnesses in the same row may share ancestry, revise one another, or have an uncertain relationship; the line under each box says which. A solid arrow appears only where direct copying or a documented revised edition is established. Order by date never implies copying. Scroll sideways on a phone.

✓ contains this verse · ▢ pages lost · – no copy survives

  • Same line, through lost copies
  • Translation
  • Uncertain connection
Hebrew
  1. The book as first writtenOften dated 4th–3rd century BC (debated)
  2. 4Q109 (4QQoh-a), Qumran Cave 4mid-2nd century BC (reported)Descends, through lost copies, from The book as first written
  3. Masoretic Text (Leningrad Codex)AD 1008Descends, through lost copies, from The book as first written
Greek
  1. Greek Ecclesiastes (library: Giguet's French)Greek translation c. 1st–2nd century AD (debated); French 1872Translated from the Greek Ecclesiastes
Latin
  1. Latin Vulgate (Clementine)Jerome c. AD 398, from Hebrew; edition 1592Translated from the Hebrew text Jerome used
English
  1. King James Bible1611Translated from printed Masoretic Hebrew
New Testament quotation
  1. Greek New Testament (library: Statistical Restoration text)1st century AD; edition 2010sUncertain relationship to the verse (which wording it followed is the question)

Every witness, in order

  1. Often dated 4th–3rd century BC (debated)

    The book as first written

    – No copy survives

    No original survives. The oldest Hebrew copies of Ecclesiastes are two Qumran fragments, 4Q109 (4QQoh-a, mid-2nd century BC, reported) and 4Q110 (4QQoh-b, reported).

  2. mid-2nd century BC (reported)

    4Q109 (4QQoh-a), Qumran Cave 4

    ⓘ Reports what manuscripts containedDescends, through lost copies, from The book as first written

    How the site knows this: Reported in scholarship; not checked by the site.

    Among the oldest biblical manuscripts. Reported to preserve parts of 5:13–17; 6:1?, 3–8, 12; 7:1–10, 19–20 (7:19–20 here). Exact readings: C check against DJD XVI (EC-C03).

  3. 1st century AD; edition 2010s

    Greek New Testament (library: Statistical Restoration text)

    ✓ Contains this passageUncertain relationship to the verse (which wording it followed is the question)

    How the site knows this: Read in the site's library text: the Greek New Testament editions in the library (Textus Receptus, Byzantine Textform, Statistical Restoration).

    Καθὼς γέγραπται, ὅτι “Οὐκ ἔστιν δίκαιος, οὐδὲ εἷς,

    As it is written: there is not a righteous one, not even one

    Paul's catena (Romans 3:10–18) draws mainly on the Psalms; the first words resemble Greek Ecclesiastes 7:20. KJV: "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:"

  4. Jerome c. AD 398, from Hebrew; edition 1592

    Latin Vulgate (Clementine)

    ✓ Contains this passageTranslated from the Hebrew text Jerome used

    How the site knows this: Read in the site's library text: Clementine Vulgate (1592 edition).

    Hæc quoque vidi in diebus vanitatis meæ: justus perit in justitia sua, et impius multo vivit tempore in malitia sua. Noli esse justus multum, neque plus sapias quam necesse est, ne obstupescas. Ne impie agas multum, et noli esse stultus, ne moriaris in tempore non tuo. Bonum est te sustentare justum: sed et ab illo ne subtrahas manum tuam; quia qui timet Deum nihil negligit. Sapientia confortavit sapientem super decem principes civitatis; non est enim homo justus in terra qui faciat bonum et non peccet.

    Latin numbering: Ecclesiastes 7:16–21. Jerome translated Ecclesiastes from Hebrew (c. AD 398), after writing a commentary on it (c. 388); the Vulgate is an indirect witness to a Hebrew text, with Jerome's interpretation.

  5. AD 1008

    Masoretic Text (Leningrad Codex)

    ✓ Contains this passageDescends, through lost copies, from The book as first written

    How the site knows this: Read in the site's library text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, a digital transcription of the Leningrad Codex.

    אֶת־הַכֹּ֥ל רָאִ֖יתִי בִּימֵ֣י הֶבְלִ֑י יֵ֤שׁ צַדִּיק֙ אֹבֵ֣ד בְּצִדְק֔וֹ וְיֵ֣שׁ רָשָׁ֔ע מַאֲרִ֖יךְ בְּרָעָתֽוֹ׃ אַל־תְּהִ֤י צַדִּיק֙ הַרְבֵּ֔ה וְאַל־תִּתְחַכַּ֖ם יוֹתֵ֑ר לָ֖מָּה תִּשּׁוֹמֵֽם׃ אַל־תִּרְשַׁ֥ע הַרְבֵּ֖ה וְאַל־תְּהִ֣י סָכָ֑ל לָ֥מָּה תָמ֖וּת בְּלֹ֥א עִתֶּֽךָ׃ ט֚וֹב אֲשֶׁ֣ר תֶּאֱחֹ֣ז בָּזֶ֔ה וְגַם־מִזֶּ֖ה אַל־תַּנַּ֣ח אֶת־יָדֶ֑ךָ כִּֽי־יְרֵ֥א אֱלֹהִ֖ים יֵצֵ֥א אֶת־כֻּלָּֽם׃ הַֽחָכְמָ֖ה תָּעֹ֣ז לֶחָכָ֑ם מֵֽעֲשָׂרָה֙ שַׁלִּיטִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר הָי֖וּ בָּעִֽיר׃ כִּ֣י אָדָ֔ם אֵ֥ין צַדִּ֖יק בָּאָ֑רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר יַעֲשֶׂה־טּ֖וֹב וְלֹ֥א יֶחֱטָֽא׃

    Do not be very righteous, and do not make yourself overly wise: why destroy yourself? (v. 16)… For there is no righteous person on earth who does good and does not sin (v. 20)

    Hebrew numbering: Ecclesiastes 7:15–20.

  6. 1611

    King James Bible

    ✓ Contains this passageTranslated from printed Masoretic Hebrew

    How the site knows this: Read in the site's library text: King James Version (1769 text).

    All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness. Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself? Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time? It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all. Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city. For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

  7. Greek translation c. 1st–2nd century AD (debated); French 1872

    Greek Ecclesiastes (library: Giguet's French)

    ✓ Contains this passageTranslated from the Greek Ecclesiastes

    How the site knows this: Known here only through a translation.

    J’ai vu toutes choses au jour de ma vanité. Le juste meurt avec sa justice; l’impie subsiste avec sa perversité. Ne sois pas juste à l’excès; ne sois point sage plus qu’il ne faut, de peur que tu ne sois confondu. Mais ne sois pas non plus impie ni obstiné à l’excès, de peur que tu ne périsses avant le temps. Il est bon que tu t’attaches à telle chose, et que tu t’éloignes de telle autre, pour ne point souiller tes mains; car tout vient à ceux qui craignent Dieu. La sagesse sera utile au sage plus que dix des plus puissants de la cité. Car il n’est point sur la terre de juste qui fasse le bien, et ne pèche.

    Greek (digital file) numbering: Ecclesiastes 7:16–21. Giguet's 1872 French of a printed Greek text (D check). A C check needs the Göttingen edition of Greek Ecclesiastes (P. J. Gentry, 2019).

What changed, and why

Readings of v. 16: against self-righteousness and moral perfectionism; against the belief that more righteousness earns guaranteed reward (which v. 15 has just refuted); or a pragmatic "golden mean." Verse 17 rules out using it as permission for wickedness; verse 18 points to the fear of God as the way between.

Verse 20 matches 1 Kings 8:46 ("there is no man that sinneth not"). Romans 3:10–12 is mainly built from Psalm 14:1–3 (53:1–3); its opening words are close to the Greek of Ecclesiastes 7:20 (ouk estin dikaios), so an echo is possible.

The Vulgate of v. 18 differs ("it is good to support the just man; but do not withdraw your hand from him either"), an interpretive rendering.

What the evidence shows

  • Independently documentedThe witnesses agree on 7:15–20.
  • Conflicts with current evidence7:16 forbids sincere goodness. It warns against excess and calculation; v. 18 commends fearing God.
  • DisputedRomans 3:10 echoes Ecclesiastes 7:20.

Sources

    Related lessons

    • Ecclesiastes 7: Better Than →Chapter 7 answers 6:12 ("who knoweth what is good?") with "better than" sayings: a good name than fine oil, the day of death than the day of birth, the house of mourning than the house of feasting (7:1–4); a wise rebuke than fools' songs (vv. 5–6). Oppression and bribes corrupt the wise (v. 7); the end is better than the beginning, patience than pride (vv. 8–9); do not ask why former days were better (v. 10). Wisdom is good with an inheritance; consider God's work: who can straighten what he made crooked? (vv. 11–14). Then the hardest sayings: the righteous perishing and the wicked living long, "Be not righteous over much" (vv. 15–18), and "there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not" (v. 20). Qoheleth's search for wisdom ends with bitter words about a woman like a snare and "one man among a thousand" (vv. 23–28), and one finding: "God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions" (v. 29).
    • Investigation: Is Wisdom a Promise? Qoheleth, Job and Proverbs →Proverbs teaches that wisdom, righteousness and diligence tend toward life, honor and plenty. Job tests that pattern with an innocent sufferer; Ecclesiastes tests it with observation of the righteous dying young and the wicked living long. The three books are not contradictions to be harmonized away, nor a manuscript problem; they are a conversation within one canon about how far wisdom can be relied on.
    • Investigation: Injustice Under the Sun →Ecclesiastes looks at injustice more directly than any other wisdom book: wickedness in the courts, tears of the oppressed with no comforter, layers of officials, the righteous perishing and the wicked praised, the poor wise man forgotten, fools in high places. It holds three things in tension: what Qoheleth sees, what he believes about God's judgment, and the limits of human knowledge.