Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?
Parallel translations
- WEB Don’t be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time?
- BSB Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?
- NKJV Do not be overly wicked, Nor be foolish: Why should you die before your time?
- NASB Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be foolish. Why should you die before your time?
- NLT On the other hand, don’t be too wicked either. Don’t be a fool! Why die before your time?
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
Don't be excessively wicked or foolish, lest you die before your time. It matters because reckless sin and folly invite premature ruin.
Overview
Balancing the previous verse, the Preacher warns against the opposite extreme of deliberate wickedness and folly, which can hasten death (Proverbs 10:27). The pairing rejects both self-righteous pride and reckless sin. The way of wisdom lies in the fear of God, which alone preserves life, a fullness of life ultimately found in Christ rather than in any human balancing act.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Prov 10:27The fear of the LORD prolongeth days: but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.
- Ps 55:23But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.
- Job 22:16Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood:
- Acts 12:23And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.
- Acts 5:10Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband.
- Acts 5:5And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.
- 1 Sam 25:38And it came to pass about ten days after, that the LORD smote Nabal, that he died.
- Gen 38:7–10And Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD slew him.
- Job 15:32–33It shall be accomplished before his time, and his branch shall not be green.
- Jas 1:21Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
- Jer 2:33–34Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? therefore hast thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways.
- Ezek 8:17Then he said unto me, Hast thou seen this, O son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abominations which they commit here? for they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose.
- Ezek 16:20Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter,
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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 7:17 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.