Ecclesiastes 4:17

Linguistic Bible Translation from Source Texts

Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

שְׁמֹ֣ר רַגְלְךָ֗ כַּאֲשֶׁ֤ר תֵּלֵךְ֙ אֶל־בֵּ֣ית הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים וְקָר֣וֹב לִשְׁמֹ֔עַ מִתֵּ֥ת הַכְּסִילִ֖ים זָ֑בַח כִּֽי־אֵינָ֥ם יוֹדְעִ֖ים לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת רָֽע׃

Transliteration

šəmōr ragləḵā when tēlēḵ to-bêt the-ʾĕlōhîm and-qārôḇ to-šəmōaʿ from-tēt the-kəsîlîm zāḇaḥ for-they-are-not yôdəʿîm to-ʿăśôt rāʿ

Grammar Details

• *šəmōr*: Qal imperative, masculine singular - guard/keep
• *ragləḵā*: noun, feminine singular + 2nd person masculine singular suffix - your foot
• *tēlēḵ*: Qal imperfect, 2nd person masculine singular - you go
• *bêt*: noun, masculine singular construct - house of
• *ʾĕlōhîm*: noun, masculine plural - God
• *qārôḇ*: adjective, masculine singular - near/close/ready
• *šəmōaʿ*: Qal infinitive construct - to hear/listen
• *tēt*: Qal infinitive construct - to give
• *kəsîlîm*: noun, masculine plural - fools
• *zāḇaḥ*: noun, masculine singular - sacrifice
• *yôdəʿîm*: Qal participle, masculine plural - knowing
• *ʿăśôt*: Qal infinitive construct - to do/make
• *rāʿ*: noun, masculine singular - evil/wickedness

Word Meanings

• *šəmōr ragləḵā*: guard your foot/watch your step/be careful how you go
• *bêt ha-ʾĕlōhîm*: house of God/temple
• *qārôḇ li-šəmōaʿ*: ready to hear/drawing near to listen/attentive
• *tēt zāḇaḥ*: giving sacrifice/offering sacrifice
• *kəsîlîm*: fools/foolish ones/stupid people
• *ʿăśôt rāʿ*: doing evil/committing wickedness/doing wrong

Other Translations

• Bible in Basic English (1941)

  Put your feet down with care when you go to the house of God, for it is better to give ear than to make the burned offerings of the foolish, whose knowledge is only of doing evil.