Ecclesiastes 7:24 · Bible study
Ecclesiastes 7:24 Commentary: What Does 'That Which Is' Mean?
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Explore Ecclesiastes 7:24, the Preacher's confession that true wisdom lies far off and deep.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Human wisdom cannot grasp the full truth of reality, the Preacher confesses it is far off and unfathomable.
- Key words: Mah-shehayah (‘that which is/has been’); ‘amoq (deep, repeated for superlative); rachoq (far off); yimtza’ennu (will find it out, with intellectual nuance).
- Main debate: Does ‘that which is’ refer to past events (Barnes), the essence of all that exists (Keil & Delitzsch, Cambridge), or God’s hidden counsels (Wesley, Gill)? Each reading shapes where wisdom is thought to reside.
- Theological theme: The hiddenness of God and the limits of human reason; true wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord (Job 28:28).
- Best use: A humbling text for anyone who thinks they can master God’s ways; opens the door to trust and revelation rather than mental effort.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
What exists is out of reach and very deep. Who can fathom it?
WEB World English Bible 2000
That which is, is far off and exceedingly deep. Who can find it out?
KJV King James Version 1769
That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out?
ASV American Standard Version 1901
That which is, is far off and exceeding deep; who can find it out?
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Far off is that which hath been, and deep, deep, who doth find it?
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Whatever hath been, is far off, and exceeding deep: who will find it out?
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
I have tried all things in wisdom. I have said: I will be wise: and it departed farther from me,
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Lejos está lo que fué; y lo muy profundo ¿ quién lo hallará?
Quem pode encontrar o que está distante e tão profundo?
Ce qui est loin, ce qui est profond, profond, qui peut l’ atteindre?
Alles, was da ist, das ist ferne und sehr tief; wer will's finden?
Hetgeen verre af is, en zeer diep, wie zal dat vinden?
Una cosa ch’è tanto lontana e tanto profonda chi la potrà trovare?
A co dalekiego, i co bardzo głębokiego jest, któż to znajdzie?
Далеко то, что было, и глубоко - глубоко: кто постигнет его?
萬事之理，離我甚遠，而且最 深，誰 能測透呢？
Far off is true existence, and very deep; who may have knowledge of it?
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Ecclesiastes 7:24
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
The verse confesses a limit that all wisdom literature acknowledges: human beings cannot reach the deep truth of things. Keil and Delitzsch note that the phrase mah-shehayah (‘that which is’) is an independent idea meaning ‘that which has come into existence’, the totality of the world in its essence and grounds. Cambridge Bible agrees, seeing here ‘the sum total of things past and present’ and connecting it to Greek notions of reality. Barnes reads it as events that have already occurred, calling it ‘far off is that which hath been’, history itself, with its divine order, lies beyond full understanding. Gill offers several possibilities: the works of God in creation, the lost image of wisdom in humanity, or the deep counsels of God. Despite these differences, the commentators share one conviction: the Preacher, having searched, admits he cannot master wisdom. The repeated Hebrew ‘amoq ‘amoq (‘deep, deep’) underlines the superlative depth. The verse is a sober confession, not a complaint; it is the teacher’s honest report that wisdom, in its fullness, does not answer to human effort.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Past events view: Barnes, Rosenmüller: reads mah-shehayah as 'that which has been' — the events of history and God's past dealings are hard to reconstruct and understand.
- Totality of being view: Keil & Delitzsch, Cambridge Bible: the phrase refers to the whole of existence in its essence and grounds — 'that which is' as the sum of reality.
- God's counsels view: Wesley, Gill: the verse points to God's deep purposes, works of creation, providence, and the lost image of wisdom in humanity.
What is clear: The Preacher asserts that the deepest truth of existence is inaccessible to human effort — only God knows wisdom's place, and the proper human response is reverent fear, not frustrated striving.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The referent of 'that which is' (mah-shehayah) | The phrase points to something beyond ordinary human comprehension, whether past events, present existence, or God's hidden purposes. | Barnes and Rosenmüller read it as 'that which has been' (history and past events). Keil & Delitzsch and Cambridge Bible take it as the totality of being, 'the things that are'. Wesley and Gill see God's counsels and works. |
| The accessibility of wisdom | Wisdom in its fullness is not naturally attainable by human effort; the verse states it is far off and deep. | Some (e.g., traditional Protestant reading) hold that while natural wisdom is hidden, saving wisdom is revealed in Scripture and fear of the Lord. Others (e.g., more skeptical readings) emphasize the permanent opacity of all reality. |
| Relationship to Deuteronomy 30 | Both passages use the language of 'far off' and 'near'. Both are concerned with what humans can know and do. | Deuteronomy says the commandment is near and doable; Ecclesiastes says the ultimate reality is far. Some reconcile by distinguishing revealed law from hidden providence. Others see a deliberate tension: the Preacher is saying even the wise cannot reach the bottom. |
| The tone of the verse | The Preacher is making a realistic confession, not a cynical complaint. | Gill adds a note of lament over lost original wisdom. Cambridge and Keil see it as a sober, even hopeful limitation, the teacher knows he is not God. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Ecclesiastes 7 stands in the heart of Solomon’s (or the Preacher’s) collected reflections. Verse 23 leads in: ‘All this I have proved in wisdom. I said, “I will be wise”; but it was far from me.’ The Preacher is not giving up, he is pivoting. He has tested life by wisdom, and the test shows that wisdom itself recedes as he reaches for it. This is the wisdom tradition at its most honest: Job 28 asks where wisdom can be found and answers that only God knows its place (v.23). Deuteronomy 30 says God’s commandment is not too far off or too hard (vv.11-14), but Ecclesiastes 7:24 deliberately reverses that language to make a different point. Here the object is not revealed law but the whole fabric of existence, the ‘what is’ that God has made.
The Hebrew construction mah-shehayah occurs several times in Ecclesiastes (1:9; 3:15; 6:10), always pointing to what already exists or has happened. The grammar is a relative clause: ‘that which has been’. In context it likely includes both past events and the present order, the entire created reality. The word ‘amoq (deep) appears in Job 11:8 to describe God’s unsearchable depths; the doubled form here is a Semitic superlative. The book itself was likely composed in the post-exilic period, though traditional authorship is Solomon. By the time of the Greek translation (Septuagint), Jewish wisdom had encountered Hellenistic thought. The Cambridge Bible notes that the phrase echoes Wisdom of Solomon 7:17, where wisdom is described as ‘a true knowledge of the things that are’. The Preacher stands in that stream, but he is more skeptical: the things that are remain far off.
Cross-references to Job 11:7-8 and Psalm 36:6 confirm the same imagery, God’s ways are high and deep. The Targum later added that this includes the secrets of the Messiah’s day. But the original context is more immediate: the Preacher has looked for wisdom and found it remote. The historical claim is that a person can try everything (pleasure, work, philosophy, even righteousness) and still not arrive at the core of why things are as they are. This is not cynicism; it is the necessary humility at the beginning of true fear.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries do not mention any significant textual variants for Ecclesiastes 7:24. The Hebrew text is stable across major manuscripts, with no alternative readings affecting the meaning of mah-shehayah, rachoq, or the repeated ‘amoq. The versions (Septuagint, Vulgate) reflect the same structure. The only interpretive question lies in how to translate mah-shehayah, as “that which is” or “that which has been”, but this is a lexicographical decision, not a textual one.
Reception History
In the early church, this verse was read as evidence that the hidden things of God (Rom 11:33) exceed human capacity; Origen and Augustine used it to support the need for divine illumination. The Targum, cited in Gill, expands the verse to include the secret of the day of death and the coming of the Messiah, showing that Jewish interpreters saw it as a prophecy of eschatological mystery. Medieval exegetes (e.g., the Glossa Ordinaria) read it as the soul’s longing for wisdom that is only satisfied in God. Reformers like Luther and Calvin saw here a polemic against natural theology: reason cannot climb to God; only Scripture and faith reveal. Modern scholarship (Keil & Delitzsch, Cambridge) treats it as an existential confession typical of wisdom literature’s realism. Across all eras, the verse has been used to check intellectual pride and to turn the reader toward the fear of the Lord as the starting point.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The object is unsearchable. “That which is”, whether past events, God’s counsels, or the whole of reality, lies beyond human reach. The Preacher names the distance: far off and deep, deep.
- The seeker is limited. Verse 23 says “it was far from me.” Solomon, the wisest of men, admits he cannot find it. This is not failure; it is truth-telling.
- The response is humility. Wisdom begins where human effort ends. Job 28:28 ties it to fearing the Lord. The verse clears the ground for faith: only God gives insight.
Five-point outline
- Mah-shehayah, the thing that is, the reality under the sun.
- “Far off”, not near, not accessible by native reasoning.
- “Deep, deep”, the Hebrew superlative, a depth with no bottom.
- “Who can find it out?”, a rhetorical question; the answer is “no one”, but the question keeps the search alive.
- Context: v.23 shows the teacher’s attempt; v.25-29 shows he turns to other things (wickedness, folly, women, the upright maker), the confession of ignorance is not the last word.
Illustration hooks
- Standing at the edge of the ocean, knowing you will never see its floor. You can measure the surface, but the depths are hidden.
- Sifting through a thousand pages of family history, only to realize you will never know the motives of your ancestors. The events are recorded; the heart is not.
- A puzzle with a missing centre piece. You can connect the edges, but the middle stays blank.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If wisdom is so far off, why should I keep trying to understand God’s will?
- Does this verse mean God does not want us to understand anything?
- How do I know when I have enough wisdom to live rightly, if the fullest wisdom is unreachable?
Leading a Discussion
This verse is a mirror for the small group: it shows the limits of human searching and the proper posture before God. Before you answer the questions, read Ecclesiastes 7:23-29 aloud together. Notice how the Preacher moves from a failed attempt at wisdom (v.23) to the discovery of specific insights (v.26-29). The confession of ignorance actually opens the door to wisdom, the wisdom that knows its own boundaries.
Discussion questions
- What do you think “that which is” (mah-shehayah) refers to in this verse? How does that change the way you read the Preacher’s frustration?
- The Hebrew repeats “deep”, what effect does that doubling have? Why does the Preacher choose such a strong word?
- Read Job 11:7-8 and Job 28:12-28. How do those passages parallel Ecclesiastes 7:24? Where do they differ?
- Deuteronomy 30:11-14 says God’s commandment is not far off, but this verse says reality is far off. How do you reconcile the two? Is the Preacher contradicting Moses?
- In verse 23, the Preacher says “I will be wise” but it was far from him. Have you ever tried hard to understand something about God or life and felt you got nowhere? Share an example if comfortable.
- What does this verse teach about the role of humility in the Christian life? Can humility coexist with a deep desire to know God?
- How might this verse prevent you from being arrogant about your own understanding, or from despairing when you cannot figure things out?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Deuteronomy 30:11 | For this commandment which I command you today is not too hard for you or too distant. |
| Deuteronomy 30:14 | But the word is very near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it. |
| Job 11:7 | “Can you fathom the mystery of God? Or can you probe the limits of the Almighty? |
| Job 11:8 | They are high as heaven. What can you do? They are deeper than Sheol. What can you know? |
| Job 28:12 | “But where will wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding? |
| Job 28:23 | “God understands its way, and he knows its place. |
| Job 28:28 | To man he said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.’” |
| Psalms 36:6 | Your righteousness is like the mountains of God. Your judgments are like a great deep. Yahweh, you preserve man and animal. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that true wisdom has hidden depths no one can fully understand. Christians have understood this passage to mean both essential wisdom for salvation can be known soon through the Spirit and that deeper wisdom remains unfathomable.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes highlights that past events, as they unfolded under God's providence, are unreachable and inscrutable to human understanding. He renders the original as "far off" and "deep, deep," stressing that even what has already happened remains hidden from our grasp.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges sees the phrase far off and exceeding deep as referring to all real things existing in past and present. This view connects it to other passages that describe wisdom as true knowledge of such things.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The commentator points out that before we complain about being cursed by others, our own conscience knows we have done the same. This is a call to self-awareness and honesty, reminding us that we are not innocent in the matter.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes that God has done many things in creation and history that humans cannot fully understand or explain. He also says that the perfect wisdom once inside people is now lost so that no one can find it again.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Jamieson Fausset Brown notes that true wisdom exists far off and deep when it is sought apart from fear of God. It remains hidden from those who follow their own ways. You may find peace through it.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch argues that the phrase mah-shehayah refers to everything that has come into existence, not merely past events or wisdom's essence. The preacher confesses that the totality of being remains far off and unfathomably deep, beyond anyone's intellectual reach. This is his humble admission of wisdom's limit while teaching.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange reads Ecclesiastes 7 as describing genuine wisdom in three phases: an earnest contempt for worldly pleasures, a patient and resigned spirit, and a humble fear of God. He argues that the chapter's core is the universality of human sin, which makes this threefold wisdom the only remedy, warning against both hypocritical righteousness and bold lawlessness.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that Solomon finds a woman whose heart is full of traps to be more bitter than death and that such a person will catch the sinner but let the godly escape. He also states that he has not found any man who lacks these traps.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
It - God's counsels and works, and the reasons of them.