Passage

Ecclesiastes 1.18

Book: Ecclesiastes · NASB95

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"16. I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I have gotten me great wisdom above all that were before me in Jerusalem; yea, my heart hath had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. 17. And I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also was a striving after wind."

"18. For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow." (Ecclesiastes 1:16-18, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"16. I said to myself, “Behold, I have obtained for myself great wisdom above all who were before me in Jerusalem. Yes, my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” 17. I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also was a chasing after wind."

"18. For in much wisdom is much grief; and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow." (Ecclesiastes 1:16-18, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"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. ^{had: Heb. had seen much} 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." (Ecclesiastes 1:16-18, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"16. I, I spake with my heart, saying, 'I, lo, I have magnified and added wisdom above every one who hath been before me at Jerusalem, and my heart hath seen abundantly wisdom and knowledge. 17. And I give my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I have known that even this [is] vexation of spirit;"

"18. for, in abundance of wisdom [is] abundance of sadness, and he who addeth knowledge addeth pain.'" (Ecclesiastes 1:16-18, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: TBD
Audience: TBD
Location: TBD
Time period: TBD

Theological reading

Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.

TBD
TBD
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Quoted in

Cartesian Skeptical Argument and Christian Responses

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.