The Meaning of Ecclesiastes 7:26 Explained

Ecclesiastes 7:26

KJV: And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.

YLT: And I am finding more bitter than death, the woman whose heart is nets and snares, her hands are bands; the good before God escapeth from her, but the sinner is captured by her.

Darby: and I found more bitter than death the woman whose heart is nets and snares, and whose hands are bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be caught by her.

ASV: And I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And I find  more bitter  than death  the woman,  whose heart  [is] snares  and nets,  [and] her hands  [as] bands:  whoso pleaseth  God  shall escape  from her; but the sinner  shall be taken  by her. 

What does Ecclesiastes 7:26 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Ecclesiastes 7

1  remedies against vanity are, a good name
2  mortification
7  patience
11  wisdom
23  The difficulty of wisdom

What do the individual words in Ecclesiastes 7:26 mean?

And find I more bitter than death - the woman whose is snares and nets heart [are] bonds Whose hands He who pleases - God shall escape from her but the sinner shall be trapped by her
וּמוֹצֶ֨א אֲנִ֜י מַ֣ר מִמָּ֗וֶת אֶת־ הָֽאִשָּׁה֙ אֲשֶׁר־ הִ֨יא מְצוֹדִ֧ים וַחֲרָמִ֛ים לִבָּ֖הּ אֲסוּרִ֣ים יָדֶ֑יהָ ט֞וֹב לִפְנֵ֤י הָאֱלֹהִים֙ יִמָּלֵ֣ט מִמֶּ֔נָּה וְחוֹטֵ֖א יִלָּ֥כֶד בָּֽהּ

וּמוֹצֶ֨א  And  find 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: מָצָא  
Sense: to find, attain to.
מַ֣ר  more  bitter 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: מַר 
Sense: bitter, bitterness.
מִמָּ֗וֶת  than  death 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מָוֶת  
Sense: death, dying, Death (personified), realm of the dead.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הָֽאִשָּׁה֙  the  woman 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
אֲשֶׁר־  whose 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
מְצוֹדִ֧ים  snares 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מָצֹוד 
Sense: siege-works, bulwark.
וַחֲרָמִ֛ים  and  nets 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural
Root: חֵרֶם 
Sense: a thing devoted, thing dedicated, ban, devotion.
לִבָּ֖הּ  heart 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
אֲסוּרִ֣ים  [are]  bonds 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֵסוּר  
Sense: band, bond.
יָדֶ֑יהָ  Whose  hands 
Parse: Noun, fdc, third person feminine singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
ט֞וֹב  He  who  pleases 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: טָבַב 
Sense: good, pleasant, agreeable.
לִפְנֵ֤י  - 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
הָאֱלֹהִים֙  God 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
יִמָּלֵ֣ט  shall  escape 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מָלַט 
Sense: to slip away, escape, deliver, save, be delivered.
מִמֶּ֔נָּה  from  her 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular
Root: מִן 
Sense: from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than.
וְחוֹטֵ֖א  but  the  sinner 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: חָטָא 
Sense: to sin, miss, miss the way, go wrong, incur guilt, forfeit, purify from uncleanness.
יִלָּ֥כֶד  shall  be  trapped 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: לָכַד  
Sense: to capture, take, seize.
בָּֽהּ  by  her 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular