Ecclesiastes 7:25
New International Version
So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly.

New Living Translation
I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for things. I was determined to prove to myself that wickedness is stupid and that foolishness is madness.

English Standard Version
I turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness.

Berean Standard Bible
I directed my mind to understand, to explore, to search out wisdom and explanations, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the folly of madness.

King James Bible
I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:

New King James Version
I applied my heart to know, To search and seek out wisdom and the reason of things, To know the wickedness of folly, Even of foolishness and madness.

New American Standard Bible
I directed my mind to know and to investigate, and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the evil of foolishness and the foolishness of insanity.

NASB 1995
I directed my mind to know, to investigate and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the evil of folly and the foolishness of madness.

NASB 1977
I directed my mind to know, to investigate, and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the evil of folly and the foolishness of madness.

Legacy Standard Bible
I turned my heart to know, to explore, and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the wickedness of foolishness and the simpleminded folly of madness.

Amplified Bible
I turned around and directed my heart to know, to investigate and to seek [skillful and godly] wisdom and the reason for things, and to know that wickedness is folly and that foolishness is madness [leading to stupidity and recklessness].

Christian Standard Bible
I turned my thoughts to know, explore, and examine wisdom and an explanation for things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity and folly is madness.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I turned my thoughts to know, explore, and seek wisdom and an explanation for things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity and folly is madness.

American Standard Version
I turned about, and my heart was set to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the reason of things, and to know that wickedness is folly, and that foolishness is madness.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
I and my heart have traveled about to know and to perform and to seek wisdom and calculation and to know the wickedness of the fool and foolishness and crime

Brenton Septuagint Translation
I and my heart went round about to know, and to examine, and to seek wisdom, and the account of things, and to know the folly and trouble and madness of the ungodly man.

Contemporary English Version
So I decided to learn everything I could and become wise enough to discover what life is all about. At the same time, I wanted to understand why it's stupid and senseless to be an evil fool.

Douay-Rheims Bible
I have surveyed all things with my mind, to know, and consider, and seek out wisdom and reason: and to know the wickedness of the fool, and the error of the imprudent:

English Revised Version
I turned about, and my heart was set to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the reason of things, and to know that wickedness is folly, and that foolishness is madness:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I turned my attention to study, to explore, and to seek out wisdom and the reason for things. I learned that wickedness is stupid and foolishness is madness.

Good News Translation
But I devoted myself to knowledge and study; I was determined to find wisdom and the answers to my questions, and to learn how wicked and foolish stupidity is.

International Standard Version
I committed myself to understand, to learn, to search for wisdom and explanations, and to understand both the evil that is foolishness and the stupidity that is delusion.

JPS Tanakh 1917
I turned about, and applied my heart to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the reason of things, and to know wickedness to be folly, and foolishness to be madness;

Literal Standard Version
I have turned around, also my heart, to know and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and reason, and to know the wrong of folly, and the madness of foolishness.

Majority Standard Bible
I directed my mind to understand, to explore, to search out wisdom and explanations, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the folly of madness.

New American Bible
I turned my heart toward knowledge; I sought and pursued wisdom and its design, and I recognized that wickedness is foolishness and folly is madness.

NET Bible
I tried to understand, examine, and comprehend the role of wisdom in the scheme of things, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the insanity of folly.

New Revised Standard Version
I turned my mind to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the sum of things, and to know that wickedness is folly and that foolishness is madness.

New Heart English Bible
I turned around, and my heart sought to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity, and that foolishness is madness.

Webster's Bible Translation
I applied my heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:

World English Bible
I turned around, and my heart sought to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity, and that foolishness is madness.

Young's Literal Translation
I have turned round, also my heart, to know and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and reason, and to know the wrong of folly, and of foolishness the madness.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Limits of Human Wisdom
24What exists is out of reach and very deep. Who can fathom it? 25I directed my mind to understand, to explore, to search out wisdom and explanations, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the folly of madness. 26And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is ensnared.…

Cross References
Ecclesiastes 1:13
And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom all that is done under heaven. What a heavy burden God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them!

Ecclesiastes 1:15
What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.

Ecclesiastes 1:17
So I set my mind to know wisdom and madness and folly; I learned that this, too, is a pursuit of the wind.

Ecclesiastes 2:3
I sought to cheer my body with wine and to embrace folly--my mind still guiding me with wisdom--until I could see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.

Ecclesiastes 10:13
The beginning of his talk is folly, and the end of his speech is evil madness.


Treasury of Scripture

I applied my heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness:

I applied mine heart

Ecclesiastes 1:13-17
And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith…

Ecclesiastes 2:1-3,12,20
I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity…

the reason

Ecclesiastes 7:27
Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account:

Ecclesiastes 2:15
Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.

Ecclesiastes 3:16,17
And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there…

know

Ecclesiastes 9:3
This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

Ecclesiastes 10:13
The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

Genesis 34:7
And the sons of Jacob came out of the field when they heard it: and the men were grieved, and they were very wroth, because he had wrought folly in Israel in lying with Jacob's daughter; which thing ought not to be done.

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Applied Directed Discovery Evil Explanation Folly Foolish Foolishness Heart Investigate Madness Mind One's Reason Round Scheme Search Searching Seek Sin Sought Sum Turned Understand Wickedness Wisdom Wrong
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Applied Directed Discovery Evil Explanation Folly Foolish Foolishness Heart Investigate Madness Mind One's Reason Round Scheme Search Searching Seek Sin Sought Sum Turned Understand Wickedness Wisdom Wrong
Ecclesiastes 7
1. remedies against vanity are, a good name
2. mortification
7. patience
11. wisdom
23. The difficulty of wisdom














(25) The reason of things.--The corresponding verb "to count" is common. This noun is almost peculiar to this book, where it occurs again in Ecclesiastes 7:27; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Ecclesiastes 9:10; save that in 2Chronicles 26:15 we have the plural in the sense of military engines.

Verse 25. - I applied mine heart to know; more literally, I turned myself, and my heart was [set] to know. We have the expression, "tamed myself," referring to a new investigation in Ecclesiastes 2:20 and elsewhere; but the distinguishing the heart or soul from the man himself is not common in Scripture (see on ch. 11:9), though the soul is sometimes apostrophized, as in Luke 12:19 (comp. Psalm 103:1; Psalm 146:1). The writer here implies that he gave up himself with all earnestness to the investigation. Unsatisfactory as his quest had been hitherto. He did not relinquish the pursuit, but rather turned it in another direction, where he could hope to meet with useful results. The Septuagint has, "I and my heart traveled round (ἐκύκλωσα) to know;" the Vulgate, Lustravi universa animo meo ut scirem. And to search, and to seek out wisdom. The accumulation of synonymous verbs is meant to emphasize the author's devotion to his self-imposed task and his return from profitless theoretical investigation to practical inquiry. And the reason of things. Cheshbon (ver. 27; Ecclesiastes 9:10) is rather "account," "reckoning," than "reason " - the summing-up of all the facts and circumstances rather than the elucidation of their causes. Vulgate, rationem; Septuagint, ψῆφον. The next clause ought to be rendered, And to know wickedness as (or, to be) folly, and foolishness as (to be) madness. His investigation led him to this conclusion, that all infringement of God's laws is a misjudging aberration - a willful desertion of the requirements of right reason - and that mental and moral obtuseness is a physical malady which may be called madness (comp. Ecclesiastes 1:17; Ecclesiastes 2:12; Ecclesiastes 10:13).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
I
אֲנִ֤י (’ă·nî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 589: I

directed
סַבּ֨וֹתִֽי (sab·bō·w·ṯî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 5437: To turn about, go around, surround

my mind
וְלִבִּי֙ (wə·lib·bî)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 3820: The heart, the feelings, the will, the intellect, centre

to understand,
לָדַ֣עַת (lā·ḏa·‘aṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 3045: To know

to explore,
וְלָת֔וּר (wə·lā·ṯūr)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 8446: To meander, about, for, trade, reconnoitring

to search out
וּבַקֵּ֥שׁ (ū·ḇaq·qêš)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Infinitive construct
Strong's 1245: To search out, to strive after

wisdom
חָכְמָ֖ה (ḥāḵ·māh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2451: Wisdom

and explanations,
וְחֶשְׁבּ֑וֹן (wə·ḥeš·bō·wn)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 2808: Contrivance, intelligence

and to understand
וְלָדַ֙עַת֙ (wə·lā·ḏa·‘aṯ)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 1847: Knowledge

the stupidity
כֶּ֔סֶל (ke·sel)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3689: Fatness, the loin, the viscera, silliness, trust

of wickedness
רֶ֣שַׁע (re·ša‘)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7562: Wickedness

and the folly
וְהַסִּכְל֖וּת (wə·has·siḵ·lūṯ)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5531: Silliness

of madness.
הוֹלֵלֽוֹת׃ (hō·w·lê·lō·wṯ)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 1947: Madness


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OT Poetry: Ecclesiastes 7:25 I turned around and my heart sought (Ecclesiast. Ec Ecc Eccles.)
Ecclesiastes 7:24
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