Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 7:26–28

²⁶And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is ensnared.

²⁷“Behold,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find an explanation. ²⁸While my soul was still searching but not finding, among a thousand I have found one upright man, but among all these I have not found one such woman.

Read all of Ecclesiastes 7

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Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.

Ecclesiastes 7:26

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
And I	אֲנִ֜י	’ă·nî	Pronoun - first person common singular	H589 I
find	וּמוֹצֶ֨א	ū·mō·w·ṣe	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular	H4672 attain to, find
more bitter	מַ֣ר	mar	Adjective - masculine singular	H4751 bitter, bitterness
than death	מִמָּ֗וֶת	mim·mā·weṯ	Preposition-m; Noun - masculine singular	H4194 death
the woman	הָֽאִשָּׁה֙	hā·’iš·šāh	Article; Noun - feminine singular	H802 woman, wife, female
who	אֲשֶׁר־	’ă·šer-	Pronoun - relative	H834 particle of relation
a snare	מְצוֹדִ֧ים	mə·ṣō·w·ḏîm	Noun - masculine plural	H4685 siege-works
whose heart	לִבָּ֖הּ	lib·bāh	Noun - masculine singular construct; third person feminine singular	H3820 inner man, mind, will, heart
a net	וַחֲרָמִ֛ים	wa·ḥă·rā·mîm	Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine plural	H2764 devoted thing
and whose hands	יָדֶ֑יהָ	yā·ḏe·hā	Noun - feminine dual construct; third person feminine singular	H3027 hand
chains	אֲסוּרִ֣ים	’ă·sū·rîm	Noun - masculine plural	H612 tie, bind, imprison
The man who pleases	ט֞וֹב	ṭō·wḇ	Adjective - masculine singular	H2896 pleasant, agreeable, good
God	הָאֱלֹהִים֙	hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm	Article; Noun - masculine plural	H430 God
escapes	יִמָּלֵ֣ט	yim·mā·lêṭ	Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular	H4422 slip away
her	מִמֶּ֔נָּה	mim·men·nāh	Preposition; third person feminine singular	H4480 out of, from, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not
but the sinner	וְחוֹטֵ֖א	wə·ḥō·w·ṭê	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular	H2398 miss
is ensnared	יִלָּ֥כֶד	yil·lā·ḵeḏ	Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular	H3920 capture, seize, take (by lot)

Ecclesiastes 7:27

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
Behold	רְאֵה֙	rə·’êh	Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular	H7200 see
says	אָמְרָ֖ה	’ā·mə·rāh	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular	H559 utter, say
the Teacher	קֹהֶ֑לֶת	qō·he·leṯ	Noun - masculine singular	H6953 collector
I have discovered	מָצָ֔אתִי	mā·ṣā·ṯî	Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular	H4672 attain to, find
this	זֶ֣ה	zeh	Pronoun - masculine singular	H2088 this, that
by adding one	אַחַ֥ת	’a·ḥaṯ	Number - feminine singular	H259 one
thing to another	לְאַחַ֖ת	lə·’a·ḥaṯ	Preposition-l; Number - feminine singular	H259 one
to find	לִמְצֹ֥א	lim·ṣō	Preposition-l; Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct	H4672 attain to, find
an explanation	חֶשְׁבּֽוֹן׃	ḥeš·bō·wn	Noun - masculine singular	H2808 reckoning, account

Ecclesiastes 7:28

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
While	אֲשֶׁ֛ר	’ă·šer	Pronoun - relative	H834 particle of relation
my soul	נַפְשִׁ֖י	nap̄·šî	Noun - feminine singular construct; first person common singular	H5315 soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, appetite, emotion, and passion
was still	עוֹד־	‘ō·wḏ-	Adverb	H5750 a going round, continuance
searching	בִּקְשָׁ֥ה	biq·šāh	Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person feminine singular	H1245 seek
but not	וְלֹ֣א	wə·lō	Conjunctive waw; Adverb - Negative particle	H3808 not
finding	מָצָ֑אתִי	mā·ṣā·ṯî	Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular	H4672 attain to, find
among a thousand	מֵאֶ֙לֶף֙	mê·’e·lep̄	Preposition-m; Number - masculine singular	H505 thousand
I have found	מָצָ֔אתִי	mā·ṣā·ṯî	Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular	H4672 attain to, find
one	אֶחָ֤ד	’e·ḥāḏ	Number - masculine singular	H259 one
man	אָדָ֞ם	’ā·ḏām	Noun - masculine singular	H120 man, mankind
but among all	בְכָל־	ḇə·ḵāl-	Preposition-b; Noun - masculine singular construct	H3605 the whole, all
these	אֵ֖לֶּה	’êl·leh	Pronoun - common plural	H428 these
I have not	לֹ֥א	lō	Adverb - Negative particle	H3808 not
found	מָצָֽאתִי׃	mā·ṣā·ṯî	Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular	H4672 attain to, find
woman	וְאִשָּׁ֥ה	wə·’iš·šāh	Conjunctive waw; Noun - feminine singular	H802 woman, wife, female

Cross-references

Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.

Ecclesiastes 7:26 Proverbs 22:14 · Proverbs 5:3–5 · Proverbs 2:16 · Proverbs 2:18–19 · Ecclesiastes 2:26 · Proverbs 23:27–28 · Proverbs 7:21–27 · Judges 16:18–21 · Proverbs 9:18

Ecclesiastes 7:27 Ecclesiastes 12:8–10

Ecclesiastes 7:28 Psalm 12:1 · Job 33:23 · 1 Kings 11:1–3 · Ecclesiastes 7:23–24 · Isaiah 26:9

Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.

Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.