Don’t be hasty to go out of his presence. Don’t persist in an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him,
Parallel translations
- KJV Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.
- BSB Do not hasten to leave his presence, and do not persist in a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases.
- NKJV Do not be hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand for an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him.”
- NASB Do not be in a hurry to leave him. Do not join in an evil matter, for he will do whatever he pleases.”
- NLT Don’t try to avoid doing your duty, and don’t stand with those who plot evil, for the king can do whatever he wants.
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 rashly abandon your duty before a ruler or stubbornly pursue evil, since the king holds real power. Wisdom counsels patience and prudence in the face of authority.
Overview
Qoheleth advises against hasty or rebellious conduct in the royal court, recognizing that a king can act as he pleases. The counsel is practical realism, not flattery: prudence keeps one from needless harm. It reflects the wider biblical call to live peaceably and discerningly under those in power (Proverbs 24:21-22).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Eccl 10:4If the spirit of the ruler rises up against you, don’t leave your place; for gentleness lays great offenses to rest.
- Acts 5:8–9Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” She said, “Yes, for so much.”
- Dan 5:19and because of the greatness that he gave him, all the peoples, nations, and languages trembled and feared before him: whom he would he killed, and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he raised up, and whom he would he put down.
- Prov 14:29He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a quick temper displays folly.
- Dan 4:35All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and he does according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and no one can stop his hand, or ask him, What are you doing?
- Isa 48:4Because I knew that you are obstinate, and your neck is an iron sinew, and your brow brass;
- Prov 30:31the greyhound, the male goat also; and the king against whom there is no rising up.
- 1 Kgs 1:50–52Adonijah was afraid because of Solomon; and he arose, and went, and hung onto the horns of the altar.
- Prov 16:14–15The king’s wrath is a messenger of death, but a wise man will pacify it.
- Jer 44:16–17“As for the word that you have spoken to us in Yahweh’s name, we will not listen to you.
- 1 Kgs 2:21–24She said, “Let Abishag the Shunammite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 8:3 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.