Bible Strands
Ecclesiastes 8:5
Whoever keeps his command will come to no harm, and a wise heart knows the right time and procedure.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The preacher addresses readers navigating royal authority immediately after establishing the king’s supreme command in Ecclesiastes 8:4.
The words — The phrase שׁוֹמֵ֣ר מִצְוָ֔ה (sho.Mer mitz.Vah) literally means “one who keeps a command,” while לֹא יֵדַ֖ע דָּבָ֣ר רָ֑ע (lo' ye.Da' da.Var Ra') states “he will not know a thing evil.”
The thread — The theme of discerning good from evil appears in Hebrews 5:14, while the call to ground love in insight parallels Philippians 1:9, and the promise of avoiding harm through zeal for good aligns with 1 Peter 3:13.
Why it lands — The text commands obedience to authority as a practical safeguard and defines wisdom as recognizing the proper time and method for every task.
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
Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment.
Cross-references
- Hebrews 5:14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained their senses to distinguish good from evil.
- Philippians 1:9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,
- 1 Peter 3:13 Who can harm you if you are zealous for what is good?
- 1 Chronicles 12:32 From Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do: 200 chiefs with all their kinsmen at their command.
- Luke 20:25 So Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
- Acts 4:19 But Peter and John replied, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to listen to you rather than God.
- Romans 13:5 Therefore it is necessary to submit to authority, not only to avoid punishment, but also as a matter of conscience.
- Exodus 1:17 The midwives, however, feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt had instructed; they let the boys live.
- Proverbs 17:24 Wisdom is the focus of the discerning, but the eyes of a fool wander to the ends of the earth.
- Ecclesiastes 2:14 The wise man has eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also came to realize that one fate overcomes them both.