Ecclesiastes 8:7 kjv
For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?
Ecclesiastes 8:7 nkjv
For he does not know what will happen; So who can tell him when it will occur?
Ecclesiastes 8:7 niv
Since no one knows the future, who can tell someone else what is to come?
Ecclesiastes 8:7 esv
For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be?
Ecclesiastes 8:7 nlt
Indeed, how can people avoid what they don't know is going to happen?
Ecclesiastes 8 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Prov 27:1 | Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. | Warns against human presumption about the future. |
| Jas 4:14 | Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? | Reiterates human ignorance of future and brevity. |
| Is 46:9-10 | I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning... | God's unique sovereignty over the future. |
| Jer 10:23 | I know, O Lord, that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps. | Human inability to guide own future path. |
| Prov 16:9 | The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. | God's ultimate control over human plans. |
| Ps 39:6 | Surely a mere phantom man walks about; surely they clamor in vain; he heaps up riches and does not know who will gather them. | Humanity's transient nature and ignorance of inheritance. |
| Dan 2:28 | There is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. | God alone reveals the future; human dependence on Him. |
| Matt 6:34 | Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. | Do not worry about future, focus on today. |
| Job 8:9 | For we are but of yesterday and know nothing, for our days on earth are a shadow. | Emphasizes limited human knowledge due to mortality. |
| 1 Cor 2:16 | "For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?" | Who can know the mind of God or his future plans? |
| Luke 12:20 | But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' | Man's lack of knowledge concerning his own end. |
| Deut 29:29 | The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us... | Distinguishes God's secret knowledge from what He reveals. |
| Job 9:11 | Behold, he passes by me, and I see him not; he moves on, but I perceive him not. | God's unsearchable ways, beyond human comprehension. |
| Prov 19:21 | Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand. | Human plans are subject to God's ultimate will. |
| Ps 90:12 | So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom. | Acknowledges the finitude of life, seeks wisdom in this. |
| Is 45:7 | I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things. | God's total sovereignty over all events. |
| Amos 3:7 | For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets. | God reveals future only to his chosen ones. |
| John 13:19 | I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. | Jesus reveals the future to affirm His identity. |
| Is 8:19 | And when they say to you, "Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter," should not a people inquire of their God? | Rejection of human attempts to foretell the future via forbidden means. |
| Eccl 9:11-12 | The race is not to the swift... for time and chance happen to them all. For man also does not know his time. | Chance and time are unpredictable; human ignorance of their end. |
| Jer 17:9-10 | The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I, the Lord, search the heart... | Only God understands the inner workings and future. |
| 1 Thess 5:1-2 | Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need for anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. | Uncertainty of divine timing. |
| Zech 8:10 | Before those days there was no wage for man and no wage for animal, nor was there any safety from the foe for him who went out or came in. | Example of unpredictable past events impacting present. |
Ecclesiastes 8 verses
Ecclesiastes 8 7 Meaning
Ecclesiastes 8:7 powerfully underscores humanity's inherent limitation in foreseeing or controlling future events. It asserts that an individual fundamentally does not possess knowledge of what is yet to come, nor can anyone impart such foresight. This verse highlights the profound unpredictability of life, framing human wisdom as insufficient to grasp the full scope of unfolding circumstances or the divine plan, ultimately pointing to a pervasive human ignorance regarding destiny and time.
Ecclesiastes 8 7 Context
Ecclesiastes chapter 8 discusses the complexities of life under divine rule, emphasizing the often mysterious ways of God's justice and humanity's limited understanding. Qoheleth, the Teacher, navigates themes of authority (vv. 2-5), proper timing for action (v. 6), and the ultimate powerlessness of humanity in the face of death and divine will. Verse 7, "For he does not know what will be, and who can tell him how it will be?", directly follows the idea that there is a right "time and way for everything, though human misery abounds." This particular verse establishes the primary reason for this human "misery" or difficulty: an inherent inability to predict the future. It sets the stage for the following verses that discuss the inescapability of death and the limitations of human power (v. 8), reinforcing the overall motif of the vanity and futility ("hevel") of human endeavors when devoid of divine perspective. Historically, this theme challenged ancient Near Eastern beliefs in divination, omens, and human-manipulated fates, positing instead a sovereign God whose plans are beyond human prediction.
Ecclesiastes 8 7 Word analysis
- For (כִּי kî): A causal conjunction, meaning "because," "for," "surely." It links this verse as the explanation or reason for the previous statement about human misery and the difficulty in discerning the proper time and way (Eccl 8:6). It emphasizes that human suffering often stems from this fundamental lack of foresight.
- he does not know (אֵינֶנּוּ יוֹדֵעַ ’ênennû yôḏêa‘): Literally, "he is not knowing." This signifies a complete and absolute lack of knowledge. The "he" (referring to "man" or "humanity" in general) lacks direct awareness or predictive ability. It highlights human epistemological limitations, indicating that such knowledge is simply outside the human sphere. This term is distinct from simply not understanding; it’s an intrinsic incapacity to know the future.
- what will be (מַה שֶּׁיִּהְיֶה mah ššeyyihyeh): This phrase refers to "that which shall come into existence," the general scope of future events, circumstances, or outcomes. It implies the totality of what lies ahead, the unforeseen path of life. The phrasing points to a future that is not just unknown in its details, but also fundamentally shrouded from human perception.
- and who can tell him (וּמִי יַגִּיד לוֹ ûmî yaggîḏ lô): A rhetorical question that implicitly states, "No one can tell him." Yaggid means "to tell," "to declare," or "to announce." This emphasizes that not only does humanity not know, but no other human (or external, non-divine agent) can impart this knowledge either. This rejects any humanistic claims to prophecy or superior insight into future events without divine revelation.
- how it will be (אֵיךְ יִהְיֶה ’êḵ yihyeh): While "what will be" focuses on the content of the future, "how it will be" concerns the manner, the process, the method, or the quality of these future events. It moves from general outcome to specific unfolding. This deepens the assertion of human ignorance, indicating a lack of understanding not just of what will happen but also how it will unfold, highlighting the intricate details and causality beyond human grasp.
Words-group analysis:
- "For he does not know what will be": This initial clause establishes the fundamental human predicament: a complete ignorance regarding future occurrences. The linking "For" ties this lack of knowledge directly to the earlier discussed "misery" (Eccl 8:6), suggesting that our suffering is exacerbated by this inherent inability to predict or prepare definitively for what lies ahead. It's a statement about a profound, inherent limitation of human wisdom "under the sun."
- "and who can tell him how it will be?": This rhetorical question reinforces and amplifies the first clause. It suggests that if "man" (humanity) cannot know, then neither can any other person convey this knowledge. This rules out any human source of prophecy or accurate divination for future events, distinguishing divine knowledge and revelation from all human pretense. The specificity of "how" further underlines the complete darkness concerning the future, emphasizing both the events themselves and their unfolding nature.
Ecclesiastes 8 7 Bonus section
The phrase "under the sun," prevalent throughout Ecclesiastes, implicitly applies to this verse. It emphasizes that human knowledge of the future is impossible from a purely human, earthly perspective. This does not deny God's own perfect foreknowledge or His ability to reveal aspects of the future to His chosen prophets (e.g., Amos 3:7, Dan 2:28). Thus, the verse implicitly serves as a polemic against human attempts at divination or false prophecies that characterized much of the ancient Near East, affirming that true future knowledge originates solely from the divine. It highlights the vast qualitative difference between finite human understanding and infinite divine wisdom. This existential uncertainty regarding the future also implicitly undergirds Qoheleth's counsel to enjoy simple pleasures and fear God (Eccl 2:24, 12:13), as these are actions within human control and responsibility, independent of knowing "what will be."
Ecclesiastes 8 7 Commentary
Ecclesiastes 8:7 serves as a poignant articulation of one of Qoheleth's central themes: the limitations of human wisdom and control in a world governed by a sovereign, often mysterious God. It posits that ignorance of the future is not merely a circumstantial oversight but a fundamental aspect of the human condition. This verse compels humility, dismantling any illusion of human autonomy or predictive power. It suggests that much of human striving, anxiety, and misery ("hevel") stems from this unfillable void concerning future knowledge. Far from fostering despair, however, this truth aims to orient humanity away from self-reliance and towards acknowledging a higher power that holds the "secret things." It subtly encourages a living that acknowledges the present, operates within known ethical boundaries, and ultimately entrusts the unknown to God.