KJV King James Version
[There is] no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither [hath he] power in the day of death: and [there is] no discharge in [that] war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.
VERSE STUDY • KJV
Ecclesiastes 8:8
[There is] no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither [hath he] power in the day of death: and [there is] no discharge in [that] war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.
Read it in 5 translations
BSB Berean Standard Bible
As no man has power over the wind to contain it, so no one has authority over his day of death. As no one can be discharged in wartime, so wickedness will not release those who practice it.
WEB World English Bible
There is no man who has power over the spirit to contain the spirit; neither does he have power over the day of death. There is no discharge in war; neither shall wickedness deliver those who practice it.
ASV American Standard Version
There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power over the day of death; and there is no discharge in war: neither shall wickedness deliver him that is given to it.
YLT Young’s Literal Translation
There is no man ruling over the spirit to restrain the spirit, and there is no authority over the day of death, and there is no discharge in battle, and wickedness delivereth not its possessors.
Surrounding context — Ecclesiastes 8
5 Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment.
6 Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man [is] great upon him.
7 For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?
8 [There is] no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither [hath he] power in the day of death: and [there is] no discharge in [that] war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.
9 All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: [there is] a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt.
10 And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this [is] also vanity.
11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.
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.
אֵ֣יןH369 · a.yinnothingאָדָ֞םH120 · a.dammanשַׁלִּ֤יטH7989 · shal.litdomineeringבָּר֙וּחַ֙H7307 · ru.achspiritלִכְל֣וֹאH3607 · ka.lato restrainאֶת־H853 · et[Obj.]הָר֔וּחַH7307 · ru.achspiritוְאֵ֤יןH369 · a.yinnothingשִׁלְטוֹן֙H7983 · shil.tonpowerבְּי֣וֹםH3117 · yomdayהַמָּ֔וֶתH4194 · ma.vetdeathוְאֵ֥יןH369 · a.yinnothingמִשְׁלַ֖חַתH4917 · mish.la.chatdeputationבַּמִּלְחָמָ֑הH4421 · mil.cha.mahbattleוְלֹֽא־H3808 · lonotיְמַלֵּ֥טH4422 · ma.latto escapeרֶ֖שַׁעH7562 · re.sahwickednessאֶת־H853 · et[Obj.]בְּעָלָֽיו׃H1167 · ba.almaster
Cross-references
Job 14:5Seeing his days [are] determined, the number of his months [are] with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass;Psalm 89:48What man [is he that] liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.Psalm 49:6-9They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches;Hebrews 9:27And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:Isaiah 28:15Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:Psalm 9:17The wicked shall be turned into hell, [and] all the nations that forget God.Ecclesiastes 3:21Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?Proverbs 14:32The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.Job 34:14If he set his heart upon man, [if] he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath;Psalm 73:18-28Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.2 Corinthians 13:4For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the power of God toward you.Isaiah 28:18And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.1 Corinthians 15:43It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power:Psalm 52:5-7God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of [thy] dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.2 Samuel 14:14For we must needs die, and [are] as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect [any] person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.2 Kings 7:15And they went after them unto Jordan: and, lo, all the way [was] full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king.Deuteronomy 20:1-8When thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, [and] a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD thy God [is] with thee, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION
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