Ecclesiastes 7:18

It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(18) In the uncertainty or the issues of life, it is good for a man to make trial of opposite rules of conduct. provided he always restrain himself by the fear of God. (Comp. Ecclesiastes 11:6.)

Benson Commentary

Ecclesiastes 7:18-20. It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this — Embrace and practise this counsel last given. Also from this withdraw not thy hand — From the practice of the preceding advice: for he that feareth God — Who orders his actions so as to please God, and keep his commandments, walking by the rule of his word; shall come forth of them all — Shall be delivered from all extremes, and from all the evil consequences of them. This verse seems more exactly rendered by a late writer thus: “The good which thou shouldest take hold of consists in this, (nay, thou shouldest never withdraw thine hand from it,) that he who feareth God shall avoid all these inconveniences.” Wisdom strengtheneth the wise — Hebrew, החכמה תעז, that wisdom, will strengthen the wise, namely, that fear of God, mentioned above, which is the true wisdom, and will teach a man to keep close to the rule of his duty, without turning either to the right hand or to the left; more than ten mighty men which are in the city — It will support him better in troubles, and secure him more effectually against dangers, than many men uniting their forces to assist and protect him. Or, he shall be better enabled to go through this world, than any town can be to stand the attacks of her enemies, though ten powerful princes should unite in her favour, and join their forces to defend her bulwarks. This is a support which can never fail; whereas, that of a man’s own righteousness and strength cannot but be weak and precarious. For, (Ecclesiastes 7:20,) there is not a just man upon earth — Rather, a righteous man, as אדם צדיקproperly signifies, and is generally rendered, namely, one that is, and always has been righteous, according to God’s law, the rule of righteousness, which is holy, just, and good, and by which shall no flesh living be justified, Psalm 143:2; Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16. Thus St. Paul, quoting the words of David, testifies, There is none righteous, no not one. Solomon adds, that doeth good, and sinneth not — Who is universally and perfectly good and holy, and free from sin, in thought, word, and deed.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

7:11-22 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance, yea better. It shelters from the storms and scorching heat of trouble. Wealth will not lengthen out the natural life; but true wisdom will give spiritual life, and strengthen men for services under their sufferings. Let us look upon the disposal of our condition as the work of God, and at last all will appear to have been for the best. In acts of righteousness, be not carried into heats or passions, no, not by a zeal for God. Be not conceited of thine own abilities; nor find fault with every thing, nor busy thyself in other men's matters. Many who will not be wrought upon by the fear of God, and the dread of hell, will avoid sins which ruin their health and estate, and expose to public justice. But those that truly fear God, have but one end to serve, therefore act steadily. If we say we have not sinned, we deceive ourselves. Every true believer is ready to say, God be merciful to me a sinner. Forget not at the same time, that personal righteousness, walking in newness of life, is the only real evidence of an interest by faith in the righteousness of the Redeemer. Wisdom teaches us not to be quick in resenting affronts. Be not desirous to know what people say; if they speak well of thee, it will feed thy pride, if ill, it will stir up thy passion. See that thou approve thyself to God and thine own conscience, and then heed not what men say of thee; it is easier to pass by twenty affronts than to avenge one. When any harm is done to us, examine whether we have not done as bad to others.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Destroy thyself - The Septuagint and Vulgate render it: "be amazed." Compare "marvel not" Ecclesiastes 5:8.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

18. this … this—the two opposite excesses (Ec 7:16, 17), fanatical, self-wise righteousness, and presumptuous, foolhardy wickedness.

he that feareth God shall come forth of them all—shall escape all such extremes (Pr 3:7).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Take hold of, embrace and practise, this; this counsel last given, Ecclesiastes 7:17.

Also from this; from that foregoing advice, Ecclesiastes 7:16. It is good to avoid both those extremes.

Withdraw not thine hand from the practice of it.

He that feareth God, who ordereth his actions so as to please God, and keep his commands, and walk by the rule of his word, shall come forth of them all; shall be delivered from both these, and from all other extremes, and from all the evil consequences of them. The word all is sometimes put for both, as being used of two only, as Ecclesiastes 2:14.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this,.... This advice, as the Arabic version, in the several branches of it; neither to be over much righteous or wicked, and over much wise or foolish; to avoid the one and the other, to keep clear of extremes, and pursue the path that is safest; such advice as this it is right to lay hold on, embrace, and hold fast;

yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand; from what follows concerning the fear of God; or "this and this" may be rendered "this and that" (c), and the sense be, lay hold on this, that is, the last part of the advice, not to be over much wicked or foolish, which is often the cause of an immature death; and do not slacken or be remiss in regarding that other and first part of it, not to be over much righteous or wise;

for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all; or escape them all; the phrase is become Rabbinical, that, is, he shall be free or exempt from them all; from over much righteousness and over much wisdom, and over much wickedness or over much folly; the fear of God, which is the beginning of wisdom, is the best preservative from, and antidote against, these things; for a man that fears God is humble, and renounces his own righteousness, and distrusts his own wisdom; he fears to commit sin, and shuns folly.

(c) So Broughton, Rambachius, and others.

Geneva Study Bible

It is good that thou shouldest take hold of {o} this; yea, also from {p} this withdraw not thy hand: for he that feareth God shall escape from them all.

(o) That is, on these admonitions that go before.

(p) Consider what desolation and destruction will come, if you do not obey them.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

18. It is good] The sentence is somewhat enigmatic, and its meaning depends on the reference given to the two pronouns. Commonly, the first “this” is referred to the “righteousness and wisdom” of Ecclesiastes 7:16, the second “this” to the “wickedness and folly” of Ecclesiastes 7:17, and the Teacher is supposed to recommend a wide experience of life, the tasting of “the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil,” which, as in ch. Ecclesiastes 1:17, shall embrace both, and bring with it a corresponding largeness of heart. This gives, of course, a perfectly intelligible meaning, though it is not that of a high-toned morality, and belongs to the earlier rather than the later stage of the Debater’s progress. The close parallelism of ch. Ecclesiastes 11:6 suggests however another and preferable interpretation. The first and the second “this” and “that” of that verse are both indefinite, used alike of such work and opportunities as God gives. So taken, the precept now before us runs much in the same line of thought, “Lay hold on this—do not let that slip—do what thy hand findeth to do. Only be sure that it is done in the right spirit, for “he that feareth God,” he, and he alone, “comes forth of all things well,” i.e. does his duty and leaves the result to God. This temper, in exact harmony with the practical good sense of moderation, is contrasted with the falsehood of extremes condemned in the two previous verses.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 18. - It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand. The pronouns refer to the two warnings in vers. 16 and 17 against over-righteousness and over-wicked-ness. Koheleth does not advise a man to make trial of opposite lines of conduct, to taste the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, that from a wide experience lie may, like a man of the world, pursue a safe course; this would be poor morality, and unmeet for the stage at which his argument has arrived. Rather he advises him to lay to heart fire cautions above given, and learn from them to avoid all extremes. As Horace says ('Epist.,' 1:18. 9) -

"Virtus est medium vitiorum et utrinque reductum."

"Folly, as usual, in extremes is seen,
While virtue nicely hits the happy mean."

(Howes.) The Vulgate has interpolated a word, and taken the pronoun as masculine, to the sacrifice of the sense and connection: Bonum est te sustentare justum, sed el ab illo ne subtrahas manum tuam, "It is good that thou shouldst support the just man, nay, from him withdraw not thy hand." For he that feareth God shall come forth of them all; shall escape both extremes together with their evil re-suits. The fear of God will keep a man from all excesses. The intransitive verb yatsa, "to go forth," is here used with an accusative (comp. Genesis 44:4, which, however, is not quite analogous), as in Latin ingrediurbem (Livy, 1:29). Vulgate, Qui timet Deum nihil negligit. So Hitzig and Ginsburg, "Goes, makes his way with both," knows how to avail himself of piety and wickedness, which, as we have seen, is not the meaning. St. Gregory, indeed, who uses the Latin Version, notes that to fear God is never to pass over any good thing that ought to be aerie ('Moral.,' 1:3); but he is not professing to comment on the whole passage. Wright, after Delitzsch, takes the term "come out of" as equivalent to "fulfill," so that the meaning would be, "He who fears God performs all the duties mentioned above, and avoids extremes," as Matthew 23:23, "These ought ye to have done, and not to have left the other undone." But this is confessedly a Talmudic use of the verb; and the Authorized Version may be safely adopted. The Septuagint gives, "For to them that fear God all things shall come forth well." Ecclesiastes 7:18

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

"It is good that thou holdest fast to the one," - viz. righteousness and wisdom, - and withdrawest not thy hand from the other, - viz. a wickedness which renounces over-righteousness and over-wisdom, or an unrestrained life; - for he who fears God accomplishes all, i.e., both, the one as well as the other. Luther, against the Vulg.: "for he who fears God escapes all." But what "all"? Tyler, Bullock, and others reply: "All the perplexities of life;" but no such thing is found in the text here, however many perplexities may be in the book. Better, Zckler: the evil results of the extreme of false righteousness as of bold wickedness. But that he does not destroy himself and does not die before his time, is yet only essentially one thing which he escapes; also, from Ecclesiastes 7:15, only one thing, אבד, is taken. Thus either: the extremes (Umbr.), or: the extremes together with their consequences. The thought presents a connected, worthy conclusion. But if ěth-kullam, with its retrospective suffix, can be referred to that which immediately precedes, this ought to have the preference. Ginsburg, with Hitzig: "Whoso feareth God will make his way with both;" but what an improbable phrase! Jerome, with his vague nihil negligit, is right as to the meaning. In the Bible, the phrase ה ... יחא, egressus est urbem, Genesis 44:4, cf. Jeremiah 10:20, is used; and in the Mishna, יצא את־ידי חובתו, i.e., he has discharged his duty, he is quit of it by fulfilling it. For the most part, יצא merely is used: he has satisfied his duty; and יצא לא, he has not satisfied it, e.g., Berachoth 2:1. Accordingly יחא - since ěth-kullam relates to, "these ought he to have done, and not to leave the other undone," Matthew 23:23 - here means: he who fears God will set himself free from all, will acquit himself of the one as well as of the other, will perform both, and thus preserve the golden via media.