Ecclesiastes 7:10
New International Version
Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions.

New Living Translation
Don’t long for “the good old days.” This is not wise.

English Standard Version
Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.

Berean Standard Bible
Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is unwise of you to ask about this.

King James Bible
Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this.

New King James Version
Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.

New American Standard Bible
Do not say, “Why is it that the former days were better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.

NASB 1995
Do not say, “Why is it that the former days were better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.

NASB 1977
Do not say, “Why is it that the former days were better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.

Legacy Standard Bible
Do not say, “Why is it that the former days were better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.

Amplified Bible
Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.

Christian Standard Bible
Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these? ” since it is not wise of you to ask this.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these?” since it is not wise of you to ask this.

American Standard Version
Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Do not say: "Why is it that the former days were better than these"?, because it is not in wisdom you ask about these things

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Say not, What has happened, that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire in wisdom concerning this.

Contemporary English Version
It isn't wise to ask, "Why is everything worse than it used to be?"

Douay-Rheims Bible
Say not: What thinkest thou is the cause that former times were better than they are now? for this manner of question is foolish.

English Revised Version
Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Don't ask, "Why were things better in the old days than they are now?" It isn't wisdom that leads you to ask this!

Good News Translation
Never ask, "Oh, why were things so much better in the old days?" It's not an intelligent question.

International Standard Version
Never ask "Why does the past seem so much better than now?" because this question does not come from wisdom.

JPS Tanakh 1917
Say not thou: 'How was it that the former days were better than these?' for it is not out of wisdom that thou inquirest concerning this.

Literal Standard Version
Do not say, “What was it, | That the former days were better than these?” For you have not asked wisely of this.

Majority Standard Bible
Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is unwise of you to ask about this.

New American Bible
Do not say: How is it that former times were better than these? For it is not out of wisdom that you ask about this.

NET Bible
Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these days?" for it is not wise to ask that.

New Revised Standard Version
Do not say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.

New Heart English Bible
Do not say, "Why were the former days better than these?" For you do not ask wisely about this.

Webster's Bible Translation
Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this.

World English Bible
Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these?” For you do not ask wisely about this.

Young's Literal Translation
Say not thou, 'What was it, That the former days were better than these?' For thou hast not asked wisely of this.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Value of Wisdom
9Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool. 10Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is unwise of you to ask about this. 11Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good, and it benefits those who see the sun.…

Cross References
Ecclesiastes 7:9
Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool.

Ecclesiastes 7:11
Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good, and it benefits those who see the sun.


Treasury of Scripture

Say not you, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for you do not inquire wisely concerning this.

what

Judges 6:13
And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.

Jeremiah 44:17-19
But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil…

wisely or out of wisdom

Genesis 6:11,12
The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence…

Psalm 14:2,3
The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God…

Isaiah 50:1
Thus saith the LORD, Where is the bill of your mother's divorcement, whom I have put away? or which of my creditors is it to whom I have sold you? Behold, for your iniquities have ye sold yourselves, and for your transgressions is your mother put away.

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Ecclesiastes 7
1. remedies against vanity are, a good name
2. mortification
7. patience
11. wisdom
23. The difficulty of wisdom














(10) Concerning.--This preposition is used after "enquire" only in later Hebrew (Nehemiah 1:2).

Verse 10. - The same impatience leads a man to disparage the present in comparison with a past age. What is the cause that the former days were better than these? He does not know from any adequate information that preceding times were in any respect superior to present, but in his moody discontent he looks on what is around him with a jaundiced eye, and sees the past through a rose-tinted atmosphere, as an age of heroism, faith, and righteousness. Horace finds such a character in the morose old man, whom he describes in 'De Arte Poet.,' 173 -

"Difficilis, querulus, laudater temporis acti
Se puero, castigator censorque minornm."

"Morose and querulous, praising former days
When he was boy, now ever blaming youth."
And 'Epist.,' 2:1.22 -

"... et nisi quae terris semota suisque
Temporibus defuncta videt, fastidit et odit."
. . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Do not
אַל־ (’al-)
Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

say,
תֹּאמַר֙ (tō·mar)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“Why
מֶ֣ה (meh)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

were
הָיָ֔ה (hā·yāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

the old
הָרִ֣אשֹׁנִ֔ים (hā·ri·šō·nîm)
Article | Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 7223: First, in place, time, rank

days
שֶׁ֤הַיָּמִים֙ (še·hay·yā·mîm)
Pronoun - relative, Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 3117: A day

better
טוֹבִ֖ים (ṭō·w·ḇîm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 2896: Pleasant, agreeable, good

than these?”
מֵאֵ֑לֶּה (mê·’êl·leh)
Preposition-m | Pronoun - common plural
Strong's 428: These, those

For
כִּ֛י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

it is unwise
מֵחָכְמָ֖ה (mê·ḥā·ḵə·māh)
Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2451: Wisdom

of you to ask
שָׁאַ֥לְתָּ (šā·’al·tā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 7592: To inquire, to request, to demand

about
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

this.
זֶֽה׃ (zeh)
Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that


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OT Poetry: Ecclesiastes 7:10 Don't say Why were the former days (Ecclesiast. Ec Ecc Eccles.)
Ecclesiastes 7:9
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