Ecclesiastes 7:29

Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

Lo {H7200}, this only {H905} have I found {H4672}, that God {H430} hath made {H6213} man {H120} upright {H3477}; but they have sought out {H1245} many {H7227} inventions {H2810}.

This is the only thing I have found, that God made human beings upright, but they have devised many schemes.

Only this have I found: I have discovered that God made men upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”

Behold, this only have I found: that God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

Commentary on Ecclesiastes 7:29 (KJV)

This verse is part of the Preacher's (Qoheleth's) exploration into the complexities and difficulties of life "under the sun." Having searched for wisdom and understanding, he arrives at a significant conclusion about the fundamental nature of humanity and the source of its troubles.

Context

Ecclesiastes chapter 7 contrasts wisdom and folly, good times and bad, and the limitations of human understanding. The Preacher seeks to find ultimate truth and the "reason of things" (Ecclesiastes 7:25). After examining various aspects of life and concluding that perfect wisdom is elusive, he zeroes in on a core observation about humanity itself.

Key Themes

  • Original Uprightness: The verse asserts that God's original creation of humanity was good and "upright." This points back to the state of mankind before the fall.
  • Human Deviation: The contrast highlights that the current state of complexity, trouble, and sin is not inherent in God's design but is a result of human choice and action—they "have sought out many inventions."
  • The Source of Trouble: The Preacher locates the source of much human misery and deviation not in God, but in humanity's own devices and schemes, which lead away from simple righteousness.

Linguistic Insights

The key terms offer insight:

  • Upright (yashar): This Hebrew word means straight, right, just, or correct. It implies a state of moral and spiritual rectitude, being in proper relationship with God and creation, as depicted in the early chapters of Genesis.
  • Inventions (ḥiššəḇōnōṯ): This term refers to calculations, devices, schemes, or complex reasonings. It suggests elaborate human contrivances or plans that deviate from God's straightforward path, often leading to complications, trouble, and sin. It contrasts the simple, straight path of uprightness with convoluted human strategies.

Reflection and Application

Ecclesiastes 7:29 offers a profound insight into the human condition. It affirms God's perfect creation, reminding us that evil and complexity are not part of His original plan for humanity. Instead, it places responsibility squarely on mankind for the state of the world and human nature, which has been corrupted by our own "inventions" or schemes that depart from God's ways. This verse aligns with the biblical narrative of the fall of humanity, where seeking knowledge and control outside of God's command introduced sin and complexity into the world.

For us today, this verse serves as a reminder that while God created us for a simple, upright relationship with Him, we often complicate our lives and create problems through our own desires, plans, and deviations from His truth. It calls us back to the foundational truth that God's way is the right way, and our "inventions" frequently lead us astray, contributing to the troubles we experience "under the sun." It encourages us to return to the simplicity and uprightness that God originally intended.

Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Jeremiah 4:22

    For my people [is] foolish, they have not known me; they [are] sottish children, and they have none understanding: they [are] wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

  • Titus 3:3

    For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, [and] hating one another.

  • Genesis 1:26

    ¶ And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

  • Genesis 1:27

    So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

  • Jeremiah 2:12

    Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the LORD.

  • Jeremiah 2:13

    For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, [and] hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.

  • Genesis 6:5

    And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually.

Add TrulyRandomVerse to your Home Screen for quick access!

← Back