Ecclesiastes 7:24 kjv
That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out?
Ecclesiastes 7:24 nkjv
As for that which is far off and exceedingly deep, Who can find it out?
Ecclesiastes 7:24 niv
Whatever exists is far off and most profound? who can discover it?
Ecclesiastes 7:24 esv
That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?
Ecclesiastes 7:24 nlt
Wisdom is always distant and difficult to find.
Ecclesiastes 7 24 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Job 11:7 | Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty? | God's unsearchable depth |
| Rom 11:33 | Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! | God's unfathomable wisdom |
| Is 55:8-9 | For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD... as the heavens are higher than the earth... | Divine transcendence and hidden counsel |
| Deut 29:29 | The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever... | Revealed vs. unrevealed truths |
| Job 28:12-14 | But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?... The deep says, ‘It is not in me’... | Wisdom's inaccessibility to man |
| Prov 2:6 | For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding... | Wisdom originates solely with God |
| 1 Cor 1:20 | Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? | Human wisdom is limited, foolish before God |
| 1 Cor 2:7-8 | But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God... | God's wisdom hidden from rulers of this age |
| Col 2:2-3 | ...the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. | True wisdom hidden in Christ, later revealed |
| Ecc 3:11 | He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done... | Man cannot fully comprehend God's work |
| Ecc 8:17 | ...no one can find out the work that is done under the sun... however much man may toil in seeking... | Human inability to fully comprehend God's work under the sun |
| Ps 36:6 | Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep... | God's judgments are deep and mysterious |
| Ps 77:19 | Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen. | God's mysterious ways |
| Prov 25:2 | It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out. | God's prerogative to hide |
| Jer 17:9-10 | The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I the LORD search the heart... | Limits of self-knowledge and God's omniscience |
| Is 45:15 | Truly, you are a God who hides himself, O God of Israel, the Savior. | God's mysterious nature |
| Job 5:9 | Who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number... | God's acts are unsearchable |
| Ps 139:6 | Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. | Acknowledging God's infinite knowledge |
| Rom 16:25-26 | Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel... and the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages... | Mystery of gospel revealed by God |
| John 3:8 | The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. | The mysterious nature of spiritual realities |
| Job 26:14 | Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand? | Only a fraction of God's power/ways comprehensible |
Ecclesiastes 7 verses
Ecclesiastes 7 24 Meaning
Ecclesiastes 7:24 expresses the inherent human limitation in fully grasping profound reality, ultimate truth, or the depths of divine wisdom and purpose. It declares that the true essence of things, or that which lies behind all earthly phenomena, remains exceedingly remote and unfathomably deep, beyond the reach of human intellect or strenuous searching. It speaks to the mystery and inscrutability of life "under the sun" and God's grand design.
Ecclesiastes 7 24 Context
Ecclesiastes 7:24 is positioned within a broader discussion by Qoheleth concerning the limitations and paradoxes of wisdom and life itself. Following a reflection on the fleeting nature of life (7:1-6), the wisdom versus folly contrast (7:7-14), and the perplexing observation of righteousness suffering and wickedness prospering (7:15-19), Qoheleth states his relentless pursuit of true wisdom. He acknowledges the universality of sin (7:20) and recounts his extensive, albeit ultimately frustrated, endeavor to find wisdom, stating he "tested everything by wisdom" (7:23). Verse 24, therefore, serves as the resigned conclusion to this exhaustive search: the ultimate truth, the fundamental nature of existence, or divine purpose, proves entirely beyond human grasp. This verse encapsulates a core theme of Ecclesiastes: human reason, acting "under the sun," cannot fully penetrate the mysteries of God's governance or the world's deep workings. It stands as a profound statement of epistemological humility.
Ecclesiastes 7 24 Word analysis
- רָח֥וֹק (rāḥôq): "Far off," "distant," "remote," "inaccessible." This word implies spatial and conceptual distance. It highlights the inaccessibility of the "what is" to human investigation. It's not just a little distant but profoundly beyond reach.
- מַה־שֶּׁהָיָ֖ה (mah-she-hāyāh): Literally, "what has been" or "what is" (present and past reality). In the context of Ecclesiastes, this refers to the ultimate reality of existence, the true state of things, the deeper meaning behind events, or the full purpose of God's works. It's not a simple observable fact but the underlying, elusive truth. It encompasses the entirety of existence and its operations.
- וְעָמֹ֥ק (wə-ʻāmoq): "And deep," "profound," "unfathomable." This signifies depth, but also abstruseness and inscrutability. The repetition for emphasis creates a superlative:
- עָמֹ֖ק (ʻāmoq): "Deep," repeated for extreme emphasis, creating "exceedingly deep" or "deep, deep." This intensifies the idea of profundity and mystery. It is not merely hidden beneath the surface, but buried so deeply it cannot be uncovered by human effort.
- מִ֥י יִמְצָאֶֽנּוּ׃ (mî yimṣāʼennū): "Who can find it?" This is a rhetorical question. It's not seeking an answer but powerfully asserts that no one can find it. It expresses human inability and intellectual impotence in the face of such profound mystery. It signifies that the knowledge being sought is entirely out of reach for humanity on its own terms.
Words-group analysis
- "Far off is that which is": Establishes the remoteness and inaccessibility of the fundamental truth or reality of life. It implies that true understanding lies beyond the human domain of investigation.
- "and deep, deep": Amplifies the inaccessibility, describing the nature of this hidden truth as profoundly mysterious and unfathomable, too complex or obscure for human penetration. The reduplication (deep, deep) intensifies the superlative sense of depth, highlighting extreme difficulty.
- "who can find it?": Concludes with a definitive rhetorical question, unequivocally stating that humanity is incapable of discovering or fully comprehending this ultimate truth or divine wisdom through its own efforts, intelligence, or exhaustive searching.
Ecclesiastes 7 24 Bonus section
- The "what is" (mah-she-hayah) can also be seen as pointing to the divine order or predestination, which Qoheleth consistently acknowledges as set by God and therefore impervious to human alteration or full comprehension (Ecc 3:11, Ecc 11:5).
- This verse contributes significantly to the book's 'hebel' (vanity/meaninglessness) theme, as even the search for ultimate wisdom is depicted as "vanity" in its inability to fully succeed. Human wisdom has boundaries and cannot ultimately penetrate the fundamental mysteries of life or the divine will.
- The search described in verse 23 ("All this I have tested by wisdom") followed by the conclusion in verse 24 highlights the Preacher's experiential theological journey. It is not mere speculation but the result of intense personal investigation, making the statement of human inability all the more potent.
- While seemingly pessimistic, this verse subtly directs the reader away from self-reliant wisdom to a posture of trust in a God whose ways are inscrutable but ultimately good. True rest comes not from full comprehension, but from surrender to what remains hidden.
Ecclesiastes 7 24 Commentary
Ecclesiastes 7:24 offers a profound yet somber conclusion to Qoheleth’s relentless pursuit of understanding "what is." Having diligently applied his heart to seek and search out wisdom, the Preacher arrives at the humbling realization that ultimate truth and the true meaning of existence, particularly God's ultimate plan, remain beyond the scope of human apprehension. The language "far off" and "deep, deep" paints a vivid picture of truth's elusive nature: it's not merely obscure but utterly distant and unfathomably profound. The rhetorical question, "who can find it?", asserts human intellectual limitation. This verse does not negate the value of seeking wisdom in daily life (which Qoheleth encourages), but it strongly contends against the human ability to fully penetrate divine mysteries or the complex reality of "under the sun" by human effort alone. It serves as a reminder that comprehensive understanding and final answers ultimately reside in God, who is transcendent and unsearchable. The verse fosters humility and directs humanity to acknowledge God's sovereign hiddenness and the limitations of finite minds.