KJV King James Version
Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.
VERSE STUDY • KJV
Ecclesiastes 7:29
Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.
Read it in 5 translations
BSB Berean Standard Bible
Only this have I found: I have discovered that God made mankind upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”
WEB World English Bible
Behold, this only have I found: that God made man upright; but they search for many schemes.”
ASV American Standard Version
Behold, this only have I found: that God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.
YLT Young’s Literal Translation
See, this alone I have found, that God made man upright, and they—they have sought out many devices.
Surrounding context — Ecclesiastes 7
26 And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart [is] snares and nets, [and] her hands [as] bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.
27 Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, [counting] one by one, to find out the account:
28 Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.
29 Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.
Topics connected to this verse
Original-language word links
These Hebrew/Greek tokens are linked by Strong's number. Click one for its lexicon definition and other occurrences.
לְבַד֙H905 · badalone: poleרְאֵה־H7200 · ra.ahto see: seeזֶ֣הH2088 · zehthisמָצָ֔אתִיH4672 · ma.tsato findאֲשֶׁ֨רH834 · a.sherwhichעָשָׂ֧הH6213 · a.sahto make: doהָאֱלֹהִ֛יםH430 · e.lo.himGodאֶת־H853 · et[Obj.]הָאָדָ֖םH120 · a.dammanיָשָׁ֑רH3477 · ya.sharuprightוְהֵ֥מָּהH1992 · hem.mahthey(masc.)בִקְשׁ֖וּH1245 · ba.qashto seekחִשְּׁבֹנ֥וֹתH2810 · chish.sha.voninventionרַבִּֽים׃H7227 · ravmany
Cross-references
Jeremiah 4:22For my people [is] foolish, they have not known me; they [are] sottish children, and they have none understanding: they [are] wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.Genesis 6:11-12The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.Mark 7:8-9For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, [as] the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.Titus 3:3For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, [and] hating one another.Genesis 5:1This [is] the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;Genesis 3:6-7And when the woman saw that the tree [was] good for food, and that it [was] pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make [one] wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.Ephesians 2:2-3Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:Psalm 106:39Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions.Psalm 99:8Thou answeredst them, O LORD our God: thou wast a God that forgavest them, though thou tookest vengeance of their inventions.Jeremiah 2:12-13Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD.Genesis 1:26-27And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.Genesis 6:5-6And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually.Genesis 11:4-6And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top [may reach] unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.Romans 3:9-19What then? are we better [than they]? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;Psalm 106:29Thus they provoked [him] to anger with their inventions: and the plague brake in upon them.Acts 7:40-43Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for [as for] this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.Ezekiel 22:6-13Behold, the princes of Israel, every one were in thee to their power to shed blood.Romans 1:21-32Because that, when they knew God, they glorified [him] not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION
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