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Ecclesiastes 5

Eccl. 5:1 KJV (With Strong’s)

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Keep
shamar (Hebrew #8104)
properly, to hedge about (as with thorns), i.e. guard; generally, to protect, attend to, etc.
KJV usage: beward, be circumspect, take heed (to self), keep(-er, self), mark, look narrowly, observe, preserve, regard, reserve, save (self), sure, (that lay) wait (for), watch(-man).
Pronounce: shaw-mar'
Origin: a primitive root
e thy foot
regel (Hebrew #7272)
a foot (as used in walking); by implication, a step; by euphem. the pudenda
KJV usage: X be able to endure, X according as, X after, X coming, X follow, ((broken-))foot((-ed, -stool)), X great toe, X haunt, X journey, leg, + piss, + possession, time.
Pronounce: reh'-gel
Origin: from 7270
when thou goest
yalak (Hebrew #3212)
to walk (literally or figuratively); causatively, to carry (in various senses)
KJV usage: X again, away, bear, bring, carry (away), come (away), depart, flow, + follow(-ing), get (away, hence, him), (cause to, made) go (away, -ing, -ne, one's way, out), grow, lead (forth), let down, march, prosper, + pursue, cause to run, spread, take away ((-journey)), vanish, (cause to) walk(-ing), wax, X be weak.
Pronounce: yaw-lak'
Origin: a primitive root (compare 1980)
to the house
bayith (Hebrew #1004)
a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.)
KJV usage: court, daughter, door, + dungeon, family, + forth of, X great as would contain, hangings, home(born), (winter)house(-hold), inside(-ward), palace, place, + prison, + steward, + tablet, temple, web, + within(-out).
Pronounce: bah'-yith
Origin: probably from 1129 abbreviated
of God
'elohiym (Hebrew #430)
gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative
KJV usage: angels, X exceeding, God (gods)(-dess, -ly), X (very) great, judges, X mighty.
Pronounce: el-o-heem'
Origin: plural of 433
, and be more ready
qarowb (Hebrew #7138)
from 7126; near (in place, kindred or time)
KJV usage: allied, approach, at hand, + any of kin, kinsfold(-sman), (that is) near (of kin), neighbour, (that is) next, (them that come) nigh (at hand), more ready, short(-ly).
Pronounce: kaw-robe'
Origin: or qarob {kaw-robe'}
to hear
shama` (Hebrew #8085)
to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.)
KJV usage: X attentively, call (gather) together, X carefully, X certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, X diligently, discern, give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear(-ken, tell), X indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, (make a) proclaim(-ation), publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, X surely, tell, understand, whosoever (heareth), witness.
Pronounce: shaw-mah'
Origin: a primitive root
, than to give
nathan (Hebrew #5414)
to give, used with greatest latitude of application (put, make, etc.)
KJV usage: add, apply, appoint, ascribe, assign, X avenge, X be ((healed)), bestow, bring (forth, hither), cast, cause, charge, come, commit, consider, count, + cry, deliver (up), direct, distribute, do, X doubtless, X without fail, fasten, frame, X get, give (forth, over, up), grant, hang (up), X have, X indeed, lay (unto charge, up), (give) leave, lend, let (out), + lie, lift up, make, + O that, occupy, offer, ordain, pay, perform, place, pour, print, X pull , put (forth), recompense, render, requite, restore, send (out), set (forth), shew, shoot forth (up), + sing, + slander, strike, (sub-)mit, suffer, X surely, X take, thrust, trade, turn, utter, + weep, + willingly, + withdraw, + would (to) God, yield.
Pronounce: naw-than'
Origin: a primitive root
the sacrifice
zebach (Hebrew #2077)
properly, a slaughter, i.e. the flesh of an animal; by implication, a sacrifice (the victim or the act)
KJV usage: offer(- ing), sacrifice.
Pronounce: zeh'-bakh
Origin: from 2076
g of fools
kciyl (Hebrew #3684)
properly, fat, i.e. (figuratively) stupid or silly
KJV usage: fool(-ish).
Pronounce: kes-eel'
Origin: from 3688
: for they consider
yada` (Hebrew #3045)
to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially (including observation, care, recognition; and causatively, instruction, designation, punishment, etc.) (as follow)
KJV usage: acknowledge, acquaintance(-ted with), advise, answer, appoint, assuredly, be aware, (un-)awares, can(-not), certainly, comprehend, consider, X could they, cunning, declare, be diligent, (can, cause to) discern, discover, endued with, familiar friend, famous, feel, can have, be (ig-)norant, instruct, kinsfolk, kinsman, (cause to let, make) know, (come to give, have, take) knowledge, have (knowledge), (be, make, make to be, make self) known, + be learned, + lie by man, mark, perceive, privy to, X prognosticator, regard, have respect, skilful, shew, can (man of) skill, be sure, of a surety, teach, (can) tell, understand, have (understanding), X will be, wist, wit, wot.
Pronounce: yaw-dah'
Origin: a primitive root
not that they do
`asah (Hebrew #6213)
to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application (as follows)
KJV usage: accomplish, advance, appoint, apt, be at, become, bear, bestow, bring forth, bruise, be busy, X certainly, have the charge of, commit, deal (with), deck, + displease, do, (ready) dress(-ed), (put in) execute(-ion), exercise, fashion, + feast, (fight-)ing man, + finish, fit, fly, follow, fulfill, furnish, gather, get, go about, govern, grant, great, + hinder, hold ((a feast)), X indeed, + be industrious, + journey, keep, labour, maintain, make, be meet, observe, be occupied, offer, + officer, pare, bring (come) to pass, perform, pracise, prepare, procure, provide, put, requite, X sacrifice, serve, set, shew, X sin, spend, X surely, take, X thoroughly, trim, X very, + vex, be (warr-)ior, work(-man), yield, use.
Pronounce: aw-saw'
Origin: a primitive root
evil
ra` (Hebrew #7451)
bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral)
KJV usage: adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, + displease(-ure), distress, evil((- favouredness), man, thing), + exceedingly, X great, grief(-vous), harm, heavy, hurt(-ful), ill (favoured), + mark, mischief(-vous), misery, naught(-ty), noisome, + not please, sad(-ly), sore, sorrow, trouble, vex, wicked(-ly, -ness, one), worse(-st), wretchedness, wrong. (Incl. feminine raaah; as adjective or noun.).
Pronounce: rah
Origin: from 7489
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Ex. 3:5• 5And he said, Draw not nigh hither; loose thy sandals from off thy feet; for the place, whereon thou standest is holy ground. (Ex. 3:5)
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2 Chron. 26:16• 16But when he was strong his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against Jehovah his God, and went into the temple of Jehovah to burn incense upon the altar of incense. (2 Chron. 26:16)
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1 Sam. 15:22• 22And Samuel said,{HR}Hath Jehovah as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,{HR}As in obeying the voice of Jehovah?{HR}Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,{HR}And to hearken than the fat of rams. (1 Sam. 15:22)
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Prov. 21:27• 27The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;{HR}How much more [when] he bringeth it with a wicked purpose! (Prov. 21:27)
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Hos. 6:6• 6For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. (Hos. 6:6)

More on:

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God,
House,
House of God,
Sacrifice

Cross References

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Ministry on This Verse

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1-7:  Vanities in divine service;
8:  in murmuring against oppression;
9-17:  and in riches.
18-20:  Joy in riches is the gift of God.
thy foot.
Gen. 28:16‑17• 16And Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, Surely Jehovah is in this place, and I knew [it] not.
 17And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful [is] this place! this [is] none other but God's house, and this the gate of the heavens. (Gen. 28:16‑17)
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Ex. 3:5• 5And he said, Draw not nigh hither; loose thy sandals from off thy feet; for the place, whereon thou standest is holy ground. (Ex. 3:5)
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Lev. 10:3• 3And Moses said to Aaron, This [is] what Jehovah spoke, saying, I will be hallowed in those that come near me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron was silent. (Lev. 10:3)
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Josh. 5:15• 15{i}And the captain of Jehovah's army said to Joshua{/i}, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. {i}And Joshua did so{/i}. (Josh. 5:15)
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2 Chron. 26:16• 16But when he was strong his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against Jehovah his God, and went into the temple of Jehovah to burn incense upon the altar of incense. (2 Chron. 26:16)
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Psa. 89:7• 7God (El) [is] greatly to be feared in the council of the saints{HR}And terrible above all those around him. (Psa. 89:7)
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Isa. 1:12‑20• 12When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to trample my courts?
 13Bring no more vain oblations: incense is an abomination unto me; new moon and Sabbath, the calling of assemblies, — I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn meeting.
 14Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear [them].
 15And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.
 16Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes.
 17Cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
 18Come now, and let us reason together, saith Jehovah: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
 19If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
 20but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken. (Isa. 1:12‑20)
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1 Cor. 11:22• 22Have ye not then houses for eating and drinking? or despise ye the church of God, and put shame on those that have not? What shall I say to you? shall I praise you? In this I do not praise. (1 Cor. 11:22)
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Heb. 12:28‑29• 28Wherefore let us, receiving a kingdom not to be shaken, have grace by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and fear.
 29For also our God is a consuming fire. (Heb. 12:28‑29)
ready.
Acts 10:33• 33Forthwith then I sent unto thee, and thou hast done well in arriving. Now then we are all here before God to hear all the things that have been commanded thee of the Lord. (Acts 10:33)
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Acts 17:11• 11Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, being such as received the word with all readiness of mind, day by day examining the scriptures whether these things were so. (Acts 17:11)
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James 1:19• 19Ye know [it], my brethren beloved, but let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; (James 1:19)
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1 Peter 2:1‑2• 1Putting away therefore all malice and all guile and hypocrisies and envyings and all evil-speakings,
 2as new-born babes long for the guileless intelligent milk that by it ye may grow unto salvation, (1 Peter 2:1‑2)
give.
Gen. 4:3‑5• 3And it came to pass in process of time that Cain {i}brought of the fruit of the ground an offering to Jehovah.{/i}
 4{i}And Abel, he also{/i} brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And Jehovah had respect to Abel and to his offering;
 5but to Cain and to his offering he had not respect: And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. (Gen. 4:3‑5)
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1 Sam. 13:12‑13• 12therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and, I have not made supplication unto Jehovah: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt-offering.
 13{i}And{/i} Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of Jehovah thy God, which He commanded thee: for now would Jehovah have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever. (1 Sam. 13:12‑13)
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1 Sam. 15:21‑22• 21But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto Jehovah thy God in Gilgal.
 22And Samuel said,{HR}Hath Jehovah as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,{HR}As in obeying the voice of Jehovah?{HR}Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,{HR}And to hearken than the fat of rams. (1 Sam. 15:21‑22)
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Psa. 50:8‑18• 8I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices{HR}And thy burnt offerings continually before me.
 9I will take no bullock out of thy house,{HR}[Nor] he-goats out of thy folds.
 10For mine [is] every beast of the forest,{HR}Cattle upon a thousand hills ;
 11I know every bird of the mountains,{HR}And the moving creature of the field [is] mine.
 12If I were hungry, I would not tell thee;{HR}For mine [is] the world and its fullness.
 13Should I eat the flesh of bulls ,{HR}And drink the blood of he-goats?
 14Sacrifice unto God thanksgiving{HR}And pay unto the Most High thy vows;
 15And call upon me in the day of trouble:{HR}I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
 16And to the wicked God saith,{HR}What [is it] to thee , to declare my statutes,{HR}And take my covenant into thy mouth?
 17And thou hast hated correction,{HR}And hast cast my words behind thee.
 18If thou sawest a thief,{HR}Thou didst take pleasure in him ,{HR}And with adulterers [was] thy portion. (Psa. 50:8‑18)
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Prov. 15:8• 8The sacrifice of the wicked [is] an abomination to Jehovah;{HR}But the prayer of the upright [is] His delight. (Prov. 15:8)
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Prov. 21:27• 27The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;{HR}How much more [when] he bringeth it with a wicked purpose! (Prov. 21:27)
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Isa. 1:12‑15• 12When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to trample my courts?
 13Bring no more vain oblations: incense is an abomination unto me; new moon and Sabbath, the calling of assemblies, — I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn meeting.
 14Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear [them].
 15And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. (Isa. 1:12‑15)
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Isa. 66:3• 3He that killeth an ox slayeth a man; he that sacrificeth a lamb breaketh a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation [is as] swine's blood; he that burneth incense [is as] he that blesseth an idol. As they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delighteth in their abominations, (Isa. 66:3)
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Jer. 7:21‑23• 21{i}Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Add your burnt-offerings to your sacrifices, and eat the flesh.{/i}
 22{i}For I spoke not unto your fathers, nor commanded them concerning burnt-offerings and sacrifices, in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt;{/i}
 23{i}but I commanded them this thing, saying, Hearken unto my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people; and walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.{/i} (Jer. 7:21‑23)
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Hos. 6:6‑7• 6For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
 7But they like Adam have transgressed the covenant; there have they dealt treacherously against me. (Hos. 6:6‑7)
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Mal. 1:10‑11• 10Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? Neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith Jehovah of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand.
 11From the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same my name shall be great among the Gentiles; and in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: for my name shall be great among the heathen, saith Jehovah of hosts. (Mal. 1:10‑11)
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Heb. 10:26• 26For if we sin wilfully after receiving the full knowledge of the truth, there no longer remaineth a sacrifice for sins, (Heb. 10:26)
• But now, for a moment, he takes his eyes from the disappointments, the evil workings, and the sorrows, that everywhere prevail in that scene, and lifts them up to see how near his wisdom, or human reason, can bring him to God. (“Ecclesiastes 5” by F.C. Jennings)
• {v.1-7} God and approach to Him is his theme―how far will his natural reason permit his walking in it? Will it carry him on to the highest rest and freedom at last? This, it strikes me, is just the point of view of these first seven verses. (“Ecclesiastes 5” by F.C. Jennings)
• “Keep thy foot,” that is, permit no hasty step telling of slight realization of the majesty of Him who is approached. (“Ecclesiastes 5” by F.C. Jennings)
• Nor let spirit be less reverently checked than body. “Be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools.” (“Ecclesiastes 5” by F.C. Jennings)
• For this Preacher would not be a proper representative man were he in debased heathen ignorance. He could not show us faithfully and truly how far even unaided human reason could go in its recognition of, and approach to, God, if he had lost the knowledge of God. (“Ecclesiastes 5” by F.C. Jennings)

J. N. Darby Translation

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Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and draw near to hear, rather than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they know not that they do evil.

W. Kelly Translation

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Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God;{HR}For to draw nigh to hear is better than to give the sacrifice of fools:{HR}For they know not that they do evil.