The wise man’s eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all.
Parallel translations
- WEB The wise man’s eyes are in his head, and the fool walks in darkness — and yet I perceived that one event happens to them all.
- BSB The wise man has eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also came to realize that one fate overcomes them both.
- NKJV The wise man’s eyes are in his head, But the fool walks in darkness. Yet I myself perceived That the same event happens to them all.
- NASB The wise person’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that one and the same fate happens to both of them.
- NLT For the wise can see where they are going, but fools walk in the dark.” Yet I saw that the wise and the foolish share the same fate.
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
The wise see clearly while fools walk in darkness, yet the same fate of death befalls both. Wisdom's advantage is real but undone by the shared reality of death.
Overview
Qoheleth grants that the wise person navigates life with sight while the fool stumbles blindly. But he confronts the leveling reality that death claims both alike 'under the sun.' This tension exposes the limits of earthly wisdom and creates a longing for the resurrection, in which Christ conquers the death that wisdom alone cannot escape.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Ps 49:10For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others.
- Prov 17:24Wisdom is before him that hath understanding; but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.
- Eccl 9:11I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
- Eccl 3:19For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
- 1 Jn 2:11But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.
- Eccl 9:1–3For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them.
- Eccl 9:16Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.
- Eccl 6:6Yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, yet hath he seen no good: do not all go to one place?
- Eccl 8:1Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.
- Eccl 10:2–3A wise man’s heart is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart at his left.
- Prov 14:8The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.
- Ps 19:10More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
- Eccl 7:2It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.
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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 2:14 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.