Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.
Which yet my soul {H5315} seeketh {H1245}, but I find {H4672} not: one {H259} man {H120} among a thousand {H505} have I found {H4672}; but a woman {H802} among all those have I not found {H4672}.
I searched a long time without finding it: one man in a thousand I have found, but a woman among all those I have not found.
While my soul was still searching but not finding, among a thousand I have found one upright man, but among all these I have not found one such woman.
which my soul still seeketh, but I have not found: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.
-
1 Kings 11:1
¶ But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, [and] Hittites; -
1 Kings 11:3
And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. -
Job 33:23
If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to shew unto man his uprightness: -
Psalms 12:1
¶ To the chief Musician upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David. Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. -
Ecclesiastes 7:23
¶ All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it [was] far from me. -
Ecclesiastes 7:24
That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out? -
Isaiah 26:9
With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments [are] in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
Ecclesiastes 7:28 presents a challenging and often debated observation from the Preacher, traditionally identified as King Solomon. In this verse, he reflects on his extensive search for wisdom and uprightness among humanity, stating, "Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found."
Context
This verse is part of a broader discourse in Ecclesiastes 7, where the Preacher explores the complexities of life, wisdom, folly, and the nature of humanity. He discusses the value of wisdom over folly, the difficulty of finding true righteousness, and the pervasive nature of sin. The search for "which" refers back to the "upright man" or "wise person" mentioned in previous verses (e.g., Ecclesiastes 7:26-27). Given Solomon's vast experience, including his numerous wives and concubines (1 Kings 11:3), this statement is often understood as a personal, perhaps jaded, reflection on his own extensive observations and relationships, rather than a universal theological declaration about gender.
Key Themes
Linguistic Insights
The Hebrew word for "man" here is 'adam (אדם), which can refer to a male person or humanity in general. In context, it clearly means a male person. The core of the Preacher's search is for chokmah (חכמה), meaning "wisdom," and yashar (ישר), meaning "upright" or "righteous." His inability to find a truly "upright" woman among all those he encountered speaks to the perceived absence of this specific quality in his personal experience.
Practical Application
While Ecclesiastes 7:28 can be jarring, it serves several important practical lessons: