For in much wisdom is much grief; and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
Parallel translations
- KJV For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
- BSB For with much wisdom comes much sorrow, and as knowledge grows, grief increases.
- NKJV For in much wisdom is much grief, And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
- NASB Because in much wisdom there is much grief; and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.
- NLT The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief. To increase knowledge only increases sorrow.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Greater wisdom brings greater grief, and more knowledge increases sorrow. Deeper understanding of the world's brokenness only sharpens the pain of it.
Overview
The Preacher observes that wisdom is not painless; seeing reality clearly means feeling its grief more acutely. This honest admission rejects naive optimism about knowledge as a cure-all. Yet the sorrow that wisdom uncovers is meant to drive us to God, who alone turns mourning into comfort and grief into hope through the gospel.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Job 28:28To man he said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.’”
- Eccl 12:12–13Furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
- 1 Cor 3:18–20Let no one deceive himself. If anyone thinks that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise.
- Eccl 7:16Don’t be overly righteous, neither make yourself overly wise. Why should you destroy yourself?
- Eccl 2:23For all his days are sorrows, and his travail is grief; yes, even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.
- Jas 3:13–17Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good conduct that his deeds are done in gentleness of wisdom.
- Eccl 2:15Then I said in my heart, “As it happens to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise?” Then I said in my heart that this also is vanity.
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Christ at the center
The search that finds everything 'under the sun' to be vapor exposes the emptiness of life without God and drives us to the one who alone gives meaning, the resurrection that makes our labor not in vain.
How Ecclesiastes 1:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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