The Limitations of Wisdom

12 I, the Teacher,(A) have been[a] king over Israel in Jerusalem.

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Footnotes

  1. 1:12 Or Teacher, was

Wisdom Is Meaningless

12 I, the Teacher,(A) was king over Israel in Jerusalem.(B)

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27 “Look,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find out the explanation,

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27 “Look,” says the Teacher,[a](A) “this is what I have discovered:

“Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things—

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Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 7:27 Or the leader of the assembly

“Absolute futility,” says the Teacher. “Everything is futile.”(A)

The Teacher’s Objectives and Conclusion

In addition to the Teacher being a wise man, he constantly taught the people knowledge; he weighed, explored, and arranged many proverbs.(B) 10 The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and write words of truth accurately.

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“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher.[a](A)
    “Everything is meaningless!(B)

The Conclusion of the Matter

Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs.(C) 10 The Teacher(D) searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 12:8 Or the leader of the assembly; also in verses 9 and 10