Ecclesiastes 8:9

I thought about all those things, and I thought about all [HYP] the other things that happen on this earth. I saw that sometimes people cause those whom they control to suffer.

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his own hurt.

In Context

8We cannot control the wind, and we cannot control when we will die. Soldiers are not permitted to go home during a battle, and evil people will not be saved by doing what is evil.

10I also saw that sometimes after evil people die, they are highly honored at their funerals by the people in the cities where they had done evil deeds. It seemed to be difficult to understand why that happens.

Read all of Ecclesiastes 8

Cross References

Exodus 14:28The water returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen and the whole Egyptian army that had tried to follow us Israelis into the sea. Every one of the Egyptians drowned.

2 Kings 14:10The meaning of what I am saying is that your army has defeated the army of Edom, so now you have become very proud. But you should be content with defeating the people of Edom, and allow your soldiers to stay at home. If you cause trouble by fighting against us, you will surely [RHQ] cause a disaster to happen to you and to your people.”

Ecclesiastes 1:14It seems that nothing that happens on the earth really enables us to do anything useful. It is like [MET] chasing the wind.

Ecclesiastes 4:7I thought about something else that happens on the earth [MTY] that seems senseless.

Ecclesiastes 5:8Do not be surprised if you see poor people being ◄oppressed/treated cruelly► by powerful/influential people, or if you see judges making unjust decisions throughout the land. That happens because the people who do that are supervised and cheated by more important officials [DOU],

Ecclesiastes 7:25But I decided to investigate things and by my wisdom try to understand the reason for everything. I also wanted to understand why people act wickedly and why they act very foolishly.

Matthew Henry on Ecclesiastes 8:7-9

The Certainty of Death. 6 Because to every purpose there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him. 7 For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be? 8 There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it. Solomon had said ( v. 5 ) that a wise man's heart discerns time and judgment, that is, a man's… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Ecclesiastes 8:9