Bible Strands
Ecclesiastes 7:18
It is good to grasp the one and not let the other slip from your hand. For he who fears God will follow both warnings.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Preacher addresses readers immediately after warning against excessive wickedness and foolishness that prematurely ends life. He delivers practical counsel before transitioning to a statement on wisdom’s comparative power.
The words — תֶּאֱחֹ֣ז (te.'e.Choz) means you will take hold, and אַל־תַּנַּ֣ח (al-ta.Nach) means may not you give rest to, literally commanding the reader to maintain a grip on one path without releasing the other.
The thread — The text explicitly ties this dual adherence to the fear of God, running parallel to Ecclesiastes 8:12 and Ecclesiastes 12:13 where fearing God determines one’s standing, and Malachi 4:2 where fearing His name precedes divine blessing.
Why it lands — The verse states that holding to both righteous and unrighteous paths without abandoning either is good, and asserts that only those who fear God will successfully follow both warnings. It asks readers to maintain disciplined attention to opposing moral directions rather than selectively ignoring one.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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.
Cross-references
- Ecclesiastes 8:12 Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and still lives long, yet I also know that it will go well with those who fear God, who are reverent in His presence.
- Ecclesiastes 12:13 When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.
- Malachi 4:2 “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and leap like calves from the stall.
- Ecclesiastes 11:6 Sow your seed in the morning, and do not rest your hands in the evening, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or if both will equally prosper.
- Luke 1:50 His mercy extends to those who fear Him, from generation to generation.
- Luke 11:42 Woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithes of mint, rue, and every herb, but you disregard justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former.
- Psalms 25:12 Who is the man who fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the path chosen for him.
- Psalms 145:19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.
- Proverbs 8:20 I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice,
- Ecclesiastes 3:14 I know that everything God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God does it so that they should fear Him.