Ecclesiastes 7:21

7:21 Also, do not pay attention to everything that people say;

otherwise, you might even hear your servant cursing you.

Ecclesiastes 9:13

Most People Are Not Receptive to Wise Counsel

9:13 This is what I also observed about wisdom on earth,

and it is a great burden to me:


tn Heb “they”; the referent (people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

tn Heb “so that you do not hear…”; or “lest you hear….”

tn The imperfect tense verb תִשְׁמַע (tishma’; from שָׁמַע [shama’, “to hear”]) functions in a modal sense, denoting possibility: “you might hear” (see IBHS 508 §31.4e).

tn Heb “under the sun.”

tn The term “burden” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.