Do not be overly wicked, Nor be foolish: Why should you die before your time?
Parallel translations
- WEB Don’t be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time?
- KJV Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?
- BSB Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. 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 Yahweh prolongs days, but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.
- Ps 55:23But you, God, will bring them down into the pit of destruction. Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days, but I will trust in you.
- Job 22:16who were snatched away before their time, whose foundation was poured out as a stream,
- Acts 12:23Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he didn’t give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.
- Acts 5:10She fell down immediately at his feet, and died. The young men came in and found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her by her husband.
- Acts 5:5Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and died. Great fear came on all who heard these things.
- 1 Sam 25:38About ten days later, Yahweh struck Nabal, so that he died.
- Gen 38:7–10Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in Yahweh’s sight. Yahweh killed him.
- Job 15:32–33It shall be accomplished before his time. His branch shall not be green.
- Jas 1:21Therefore, putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness, receive with humility the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
- Jer 2:33–34How well you prepare your way to seek love! Therefore you have even taught the wicked women your ways.
- Ezek 8:17Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, 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 turned again to provoke me to anger. Behold, they put the branch to their nose.
- Ezek 16:20“‘“Moreover you have taken your sons and your daughters, whom you have borne to me, and you have sacrificed these to them to be devoured. Was your prostitution a small matter,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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.