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Sunday, July 13th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

Christian Standard Bible ®

Ecclesiastes 7:7

Surely, the practice of extortion turns a wise person into a fool,and a bribe corrupts the mind.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Bribery;   Justice;   Oppression;   The Topic Concordance - Bribery;   Heart;   Wisdom;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Wisdom literature;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Violence;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ecclesiastes, Book of;   Poetry;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher;   Oppression;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Efes;   Eleazar ben 'Arak;   Emmaus;   Hamnuna of Babylonia;   ḥanina B. ḥama;   Johanan B. Zakkai;   Joshua B. Levi;   Judah B. Pedaya;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for September 2;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
Surely extortion makes the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroys the understanding.
King James Version
Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart.
English Standard Version
Surely oppression drives the wise into madness, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
New American Standard Bible
For oppression makes a wise person look foolish, And a bribe corrupts the heart.
New Century Version
Even wise people are fools if they let money change their thinking.
Amplified Bible
For oppression makes a wise man foolish, And a bribe corrupts the [good judgment of the] heart.
World English Bible
Surely extortion makes the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroys the understanding.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad: and the rewarde destroyeth the heart.
Legacy Standard Bible
For oppression gives a wise man over to madness,And a bribe destroys the heart.
Berean Standard Bible
Surely extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
Contemporary English Version
Corruption makes fools of sensible people, and bribes can ruin you.
Complete Jewish Bible
But oppression can make a wise man stupid; also a gift can destroy understanding.
Darby Translation
Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad, and a gift destroyeth the heart.
Easy-to-Read Version
Even the wise will forget their wisdom, if someone pays them enough. That money destroys their understanding.
George Lamsa Translation
Surely slander destroys a wise man; and a bribe destroys the heart.
Good News Translation
You may be wise, but if you cheat someone, you are acting like a fool. If you take a bribe, you ruin your character.
Lexham English Bible
Surely oppression makes a fool of the wise, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
Literal Translation
For oppression makes a wise man mad; and a bribe destroys the heart.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Who so doeth wronge, maketh a wyse man to go out of his witt, and destroyeth a gentle hert.
American Standard Version
Surely extortion maketh the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroyeth the understanding.
Bible in Basic English
The wise are troubled by the ways of the cruel, and the giving of money is the destruction of the heart.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Surely oppression turneth a wise man into a fool; and a gift destroyeth the understanding.
King James Version (1611)
Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad: and a gift destroyeth the heart.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The wyse man hateth wrong dealing, and abhorreth the heart that coueteth rewardes.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
As the sound of thorns under a caldron, so is the laughter of fools: this is also vanity.
English Revised Version
Surely extortion maketh a wise man foolish; and a gift destroyeth the understanding.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Fals chalenge disturblith a wijs man, and it schal leese the strengthe of his herte.
Update Bible Version
Surely extortion makes the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroys the understanding.
Webster's Bible Translation
Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart.
New English Translation
Surely oppression can turn a wise person into a fool; likewise, a bribe corrupts the heart.
New King James Version
Surely oppression destroys a wise man's reason, And a bribe debases the heart.
New Living Translation
Extortion turns wise people into fools, and bribes corrupt the heart.
New Life Bible
For sure a bad power makes the wise man angry. And to get paid in secret for wrong-doing destroys the heart.
New Revised Standard
Surely oppression makes the wise foolish, and a bribe corrupts the heart.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For, oppression, maddeneth the wise, - and a bribe, destroyeth the understanding.
Douay-Rheims Bible
(7-8) Oppression troubleth the wise, and shall destroy the strength of his heart.
Revised Standard Version
Surely oppression makes the wise man foolish, and a bribe corrupts the mind.
Young's Literal Translation
Surely oppression maketh the wise mad, And a gift destroyeth the heart.
THE MESSAGE
Brutality stupefies even the wise And destroys the strongest heart.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
For oppression makes a wise man mad, And a bribe corrupts the heart.

Contextual Overview

7Surely, the practice of extortion turns a wise person into a fool,and a bribe corrupts the mind.8The end of a matter is better than its beginning;a patient spirit is better than a proud spirit. 9Don’t let your spirit rush to be angry,for anger abides in the heart of fools. 10Don’t say, “Why were the former days better than these?” since it is not wise of you to ask this.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

oppression: Deuteronomy 28:33, Deuteronomy 28:34, Deuteronomy 28:65

a gift: Exodus 23:8, Deuteronomy 16:19, 1 Samuel 8:3, 1 Samuel 12:3, Proverbs 17:23, Isaiah 1:23, Isaiah 33:15

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 21:13 - changed 1 Samuel 21:14 - is mad Ecclesiastes 4:1 - and considered Hosea 4:11 - take

Cross-References

Genesis 6:18
But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark with your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives.
Genesis 7:1
Then the Lord said to Noah, “Enter the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you alone are righteous before me in this generation.
Genesis 7:13
On that same day Noah and his three sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, entered the ark, along with Noah’s wife and his three sons’ wives.
Genesis 7:15
Two of every creature that has the breath of life in it came to Noah and entered the ark.
Proverbs 22:3
A sensible person sees danger and takes cover,but the inexperienced keep going and are punished.
Matthew 24:38
For in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah boarded the ark.
Luke 17:27
People went on eating, drinking, marrying and giving in marriage
Hebrews 6:18
so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us.
Hebrews 11:7
By faith Noah, after he was warned about what was not yet seen and motivated by godly fear, built an ark to deliver his family. By faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
1 Peter 3:20
who in the past were disobedient, when God patiently waited in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared. In it a few—that is, eight people—were saved through water.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad,.... Which is to be understood either passively, when he is oppressed by others, or sees others oppressed; it raises indignation in him, disturbs his mind, and he is ready to pass a wrong judgment on the dispensations of Providence, and to say rash and unadvised things concerning them,

Psalms 73:2; or actively, of oppression with which he oppresses others; when he gives into such measures, his wisdom departs from him, his mind is besotted, he acts the part of a madman, and pierces himself through with many sorrows. Some understand this of wealth got in an ill way; or of gifts given to bribe men to do injury to others; and which the following clause is thought to explain;

and a gift destroyeth the heart; blinds the eyes of judges other ways wise; perverts their judgment, and causes them to pass a wrong sentence, as well as perverts justice: or, "and destroys the heart of gifts" k; a heart that is possessed of the gifts of wisdom and knowledge; or a munificent heart, a heart disposed to give bountifully and liberally, that oppression destroys and renders useless.

k ויאבד את לב מתנה "et frangit cor dotibus praeclaris ornatum", Tigurine version; so some Jewish writers in Mercerus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Rather, oppression (or extortions) maketh a wise man foolish; and a bribe etc. If a wise man, being in a high position, exercises oppression (see Psalms 62:10), or practices extortion, he becomes a fool in so doing. This verse is a warning against impatience in the exercise of power or the acquisition of riches.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ecclesiastes 7:7. Oppression maketh a wise man mad — This has been translated with good show of reason, "Surely oppression shall give lustre to a wise man: but a gift corrupteth the heart."

The chief difference here is in the word יהולל yeholel, which, from the root הלל halal, signifies to glister, irradiate, as well as to move briskly, to be mad, furious, in a rage; and certainly the former meaning suits this place best. We cannot think that the wise man - he that is truly religious, (for this is its meaning in the language of Solomon,) can be made mad by any kind of oppression; but as he trusts in God, so in patience he possesses his soul.


 
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