Ecclesiastes 1:18

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

For with great wisdom comes great frustration; whoever increases his knowledge merely increases his heartache.

Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

  • Eccl 12:12-13 : 12 Concluding Exhortation: Fear God and Obey His Commands! Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. There is no end to the making of many books, and much study is exhausting to the body. 13 Having heard everything, I have reached this conclusion: Fear God and keep his commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.
  • 1 Cor 3:18-20 : 18 Guard against self-deception, each of you. If someone among you thinks he is wise in this age, let him become foolish so that he can become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this age is foolishness with God. As it is written,“He catches the wise in their craftiness.” 20 And again,“The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”
  • Job 28:28 : 28 And he said to mankind,‘The fear of the LORD– that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
  • Eccl 2:15 : 15 So I thought to myself,“The fate of the fool will happen even to me! Then what did I gain by becoming so excessively wise?” So I lamented to myself,“The benefits of wisdom are ultimately meaningless!”
  • Eccl 2:23 : 23 For all day long his work produces pain and frustration, and even at night his mind cannot relax! This also is futile!
  • Eccl 7:16 : 16 So do not be excessively righteous or excessively wise; otherwise you might be disappointed.
  • Jas 3:13-17 : 13 True Wisdom Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct he should show his works done in the gentleness that wisdom brings. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfishness in your hearts, do not boast and tell lies against the truth. 15 Such wisdom does not come from above but is earthly, natural, demonic. 16 For where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is disorder and every evil practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and not hypocritical.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

  • Eccl 1:13-17
    5 verses
    85%

    13I decided to carefully and thoroughly examine all that has been accomplished on earth. I concluded: God has given people a burdensome task that keeps them occupied.

    14I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man on earth, and I concluded: Everything he has accomplished is futile– like chasing the wind!

    15What is bent cannot be straightened, and what is missing cannot be supplied.

    16Futility of Secular Wisdom I thought to myself,“I have become much wiser than any of my predecessors who ruled over Jerusalem; I have acquired much wisdom and knowledge.”

    17So I decided to discern the benefit of wisdom and knowledge over foolish behavior and ideas; however, I concluded that even this endeavor is like trying to chase the wind!

  • Eccl 7:25
    76%

    25True Righteousness and Wisdom Are Virtually Nonexistent I tried to understand, examine, and comprehend the role of wisdom in the scheme of things, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the insanity of folly.

  • Eccl 2:19-22
    4 verses
    75%

    19Who knows if he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will be master over all the fruit of my labor for which I worked so wisely on earth! This also is futile!

    20So I began to despair about all the fruit of my labor for which I worked so hard on earth.

    21For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; however, he must hand over the fruit of his labor as an inheritance to someone else who did not work for it. This also is futile, and an awful injustice!

    22Painful Days and Restless Nights What does a man acquire from all his labor and from the anxiety that accompanies his toil on earth?

  • Eccl 2:26
    75%

    26For to the one who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner, he gives the task of amassing wealth– only to give it to the one who pleases God. This task of the wicked is futile– like chasing the wind!

  • Eccl 7:3-4
    2 verses
    75%

    3Sorrow is better than laughter, because sober reflection is good for the heart.

    4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of merrymaking.

  • Eccl 12:12
    75%

    12Concluding Exhortation: Fear God and Obey His Commands! Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. There is no end to the making of many books, and much study is exhausting to the body.

  • Prov 1:5-7
    3 verses
    74%

    5(Let the wise also hear and gain instruction, and let the discerning acquire guidance!)

    6To discern the meaning of a proverb and a parable, the sayings of the wise and their riddles.

    7Introduction to the Theme of the Book Fearing the LORD is the beginning of discernment, but fools have despised wisdom and moral instruction.

  • Eccl 2:13-17
    5 verses
    74%

    13I realized that wisdom is preferable to folly, just as light is preferable to darkness:

    14The wise man can see where he is going, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also realized that the same fate happens to them both.

    15So I thought to myself,“The fate of the fool will happen even to me! Then what did I gain by becoming so excessively wise?” So I lamented to myself,“The benefits of wisdom are ultimately meaningless!”

    16For the wise man, like the fool, will not be remembered for very long, because in the days to come, both will already have been forgotten. Alas, the wise man dies– just like the fool!

    17So I loathed life because what happens on earth seems awful to me; for all the benefits of wisdom are futile– like chasing the wind.

  • Ps 73:16
    74%

    16When I tried to make sense of this, it was troubling to me.

  • Eccl 8:16-17
    2 verses
    74%

    16Limitations of Human Wisdom When I tried to gain wisdom and to observe the activity on earth– even though it prevents anyone from sleeping day or night–

    17then I discerned all that God has done: No one really comprehends what happens on earth. Despite all human efforts to discover it, no one can ever grasp it. Even if a wise person claimed that he understood, he would not really comprehend it.

  • Prov 24:4-5
    2 verses
    74%

    4by knowledge its rooms are filled with all kinds of precious and pleasing treasures.

    5A wise warrior is strong, and a man of knowledge makes his strength stronger;

  • Prov 18:15
    74%

    15The discerning person acquires knowledge, and the wise person seeks knowledge.

  • Prov 3:13
    73%

    13Blessings of Obtaining Wisdom Blessed is the one who has found wisdom, and the one who obtains understanding.

  • Eccl 9:18
    73%

    18Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner can destroy much that is good.

  • Prov 2:10
    73%

    10For wisdom will enter your heart, and moral knowledge will be attractive to you.

  • Prov 1:2
    73%

    2To learn wisdom and moral instruction, to discern wise counsel.

  • Prov 14:18
    73%

    18The naive have inherited folly, but the shrewd will be crowned with knowledge.

  • Prov 9:10
    73%

    10The beginning of wisdom is to fear the LORD, and acknowledging the Holy One is understanding.

  • Prov 19:3
    73%

    3A person’s folly subverts his way, and his heart rages against the LORD.

  • Eccl 7:11-12
    2 verses
    73%

    11Wisdom Can Lengthen One’s Life Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing; it benefits those who see the light of day.

    12For wisdom provides protection, just as money provides protection. But the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves the life of its owner.

  • Prov 14:13
    72%

    13Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief.

  • Eccl 6:8
    72%

    8So what advantage does a wise man have over a fool? And what advantage does a pauper gain by knowing how to survive?

  • Prov 16:22
    72%

    22Insight is like a life-giving fountain to the one who possesses it, but folly leads to the discipline of fools.

  • Eccl 9:13
    72%

    13Most People Are Not Receptive to Wise Counsel This is what I also observed about wisdom on earth, and it is a great burden to me:

  • Eccl 2:9
    72%

    9So I was far wealthier than all my predecessors in Jerusalem, yet I maintained my objectivity:

  • Eccl 7:23
    72%

    23Human Wisdom is Limited I have examined all this by wisdom; I said,“I am determined to comprehend this”– but it was beyond my grasp.

  • Prov 4:7
    72%

    7Wisdom is supreme– so acquire wisdom, and whatever you acquire, acquire understanding!

  • Prov 15:21
    72%

    21Folly is a joy to one who lacks sense, but one who has understanding follows an upright course.

  • Eccl 6:11
    72%

    11The more one argues with words, the less he accomplishes. How does that benefit him?

  • Job 28:12
    72%

    12No Price Can Buy Wisdom“But wisdom– where can it be found? Where is the place of understanding?

  • Eccl 1:2
    72%

    2Introduction: Utter Futility“Futile! Futile!” laments the Teacher,“Absolutely futile! Everything is futile!”

  • Prov 2:6
    72%

    6For the LORD gives wisdom, and from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

  • Prov 14:6
    71%

    6The scorner sought wisdom–there was none, but understanding was easy for a discerning person.