Ecclesiastes 1:17 — Bible Verse (KJV)

“And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.”

Ecclesiastes 1:17 — King James Version (KJV), 1611

Ecclesiastes 1:17 in 6 Bible Translations

Read Ecclesiastes 1:17 in the King James Version (KJV) and 5 other free, public-domain translations side by side.

Ecclesiastes 1:17 WEB — World English Bible (2000)

“I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also was a chasing after wind.”

Ecclesiastes 1:17 — World English Bible

Ecclesiastes 1:17 ASV — American Standard Version (1901)

“And I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also was a striving after wind. ”

Ecclesiastes 1:17 — American Standard Version

Ecclesiastes 1:17 YLT — Young's Literal Translation (1862)

“And I give my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I have known that even this <FI>is<Fi> vexation of spirit;”

Ecclesiastes 1:17 — Young's Literal Translation

Ecclesiastes 1:17 DBY — Darby Translation (1890)

“And I applied my heart to the knowledge of wisdom, and to the knowledge of madness and folly: I perceived that this also is a striving after the wind. ”

Ecclesiastes 1:17 — Darby Translation

Ecclesiastes 1:17 GEN — Geneva Bible (1599)

“And I gaue mine heart to knowe wisdome and knowledge, madnes and foolishnes: I knew also that this is a vexation of the spirit.”

Ecclesiastes 1:17 — Geneva Bible

Ecclesiastes 1:17 in Context — Ecclesiastes 1

15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

16 I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.

18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

Read the full chapter: Ecclesiastes 1 — Paul's Introduction — Not Ashamed of the Gospel →

What Does Ecclesiastes 1:17 Mean?

Ecclesiastes 1:17 is a verse from the Book of Ecclesiastes, part of the Old Testament. It appears in Ecclesiastes chapter 1. Use The Living Sword's word-by-word study mode to explore every word in the original Hebrew and Aramaic.

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