Ecclesiastes 8:1

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? A man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

מִ֚י כְּהֶ֣חָכָ֔ם וּמִ֥י יוֹדֵ֖עַ פֵּ֣שֶׁר דָּבָ֑ר חָכְמַ֤ת אָדָם֙ תָּאִ֣יר פָּנָ֔יו וְעֹ֥ז פָּנָ֖יו יְשֻׁנֶּֽא׃

Transliteration

mî like-the-ḥākām and-mî yôdēaʿ pēšer dābār ḥākmat ʾādām tāʾîr pānāyw and-ʿōz pānāyw yešunneʾ

Grammar Details

• *mî*: interrogative pronoun - who
• *ḥākām*: noun, masculine singular - wise person/sage
• *yôdēaʿ*: active participle, masculine singular - knowing/one who knows
• *pēšer*: noun, masculine singular construct - interpretation/solution
• *dābār*: noun, masculine singular - word/matter/thing
• *ḥākmat*: noun, feminine singular construct - wisdom of
• *ʾādām*: noun, masculine singular - man/person/mankind
• *tāʾîr*: hiphil imperfect, 3rd feminine singular - causes to shine/illuminates
• *pānāyw*: noun, masculine plural construct with 3rd masculine singular suffix - his face
• *ʿōz*: noun, masculine singular construct - strength/boldness of
• *yešunneʾ*: pual imperfect, 3rd masculine singular - is changed/transformed

Word Meanings

• *mî*: who/whom
• *pēšer*: interpretation/solution/meaning
• *dābār*: word/matter/thing/affair
• *ʾādām*: man/person/mankind/humanity
• *tāʾîr*: illuminates/brightens/makes shine
• *pānāyw*: his face/countenance/presence
• *ʿōz*: strength/boldness/fierceness
• *yešunneʾ*: is changed/is transformed/is altered

Referenced Verses

• Deut 28:50 : 50 a nation of fierce countenance, that shall not regard the person of the old, nor show favor to the young,
• Acts 6:15 : 15 And all that sat in the council, fastening their eyes on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.
• Prov 4:8-9 : 8 Exalt her, and she will promote thee; She will bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her. 9 She will give to thy head a chaplet of grace; A crown of beauty will she deliver to thee.
• Exod 34:29-30 : 29 And it came to pass, when Moses came down from mount Sinai with the two tables of the testimony in Moses' hand, when he came down from the mount, that Moses knew not that the skin of his face shone by reason of his speaking with him. 30 And when Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses, behold, the skin of his face shone; and they were afraid to come nigh him.
• Eccl 2:13-14 : 13 Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness. 14 The wise man's eyes are in his head, and the fool walketh in darkness: and yet I perceived that one event happeneth to them all.
• Dan 2:28-30 : 28 but there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and he hath made known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these: 29 as for thee, O king, thy thoughts came [into thy mind] upon thy bed, what should come to pass hereafter; and he that revealeth secrets hath made known to thee what shall come to pass. 30 But as for me, this secret is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more than any living, but to the intent that the interpretation may be made known to the king, and that thou mayest know the thoughts of thy heart.
• Dan 2:47 : 47 The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth your God is the God of gods, and the Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou hast been able to reveal this secret.
• Dan 4:18-19 : 18 This dream I, king Nebuchadnezzar, have seen; and thou, O Belteshazzar, declare the interpretation, forasmuch as all the wise men of my kingdom are not able to make known unto me the interpretation; but thou art able; for the spirit of the holy gods is in thee. 19 Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was stricken dumb for a while, and his thoughts troubled him. The king answered and said, Belteshazzar, let not the dream, or the interpretation, trouble thee. Belteshazzar answered and said, My lord, the dream be to them that hate thee, and the interpretation thereof to thine adversaries.
• Matt 17:2 : 2 and he was transfigured before them; and his face did shine as the sun, and his garments became white as the light.
• Acts 4:13 : 13 Now when they beheld the boldness of Peter and John, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.
• Acts 4:29 : 29 And now, Lord, look upon their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness,
• Job 33:23 : 23 If there be with him an angel, An interpreter, one among a thousand, To show unto man what is right for him;
• Prov 1:6 : 6 To understand a proverb, and a figure, The words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
• Gen 40:8 : 8 And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell it me, I pray you.
• Gen 41:15-16 : 15 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, I have dreamed a dream, and there is none that can interpret it: and I have heard say of thee, that when thou hearest a dream thou canst interpret it. 16 And Joseph answered Pharaoh, saying, It is not in me: God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace.
• Gen 41:38-39 : 38 And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom the spirit of God is? 39 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath showed thee all of this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou:
• Prov 17:24 : 24 Wisdom is before the face of him that hath understanding; But the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.
• Prov 24:5 : 5 A wise man is strong; Yea, a man of knowledge increaseth might.
• 1 Cor 2:13-16 : 13 Which things also we speak, not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the {G40} Spirit teacheth; combining spiritual things with spiritual [words]. 14 Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he {G3756} cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged. 15 But he that is spiritual {G3303} judgeth all things, and he himself is judged of no man. 16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
• Eph 6:19 : 19 And on my behalf, that utterance may be given unto me in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,
• 2 Tim 4:17 : 17 But the Lord stood by me, and strengthened me; that through me the message might me fully proclaimed, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.
• 2 Pet 1:20 : 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of {G3956} private interpretation.