Ecclesiastes 1:18 Meaning and Explanation
“For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →The deeper one's wisdom and knowledge, the more keenly one feels the world's brokenness and grief.
What Does Ecclesiastes 1:18 Mean?
The Preacher ends the chapter with a hard-won truth: greater wisdom brings greater grief, and increasing knowledge increases sorrow. To see more clearly is also to feel more deeply the wrongs and losses that others can overlook.
This is not a counsel against learning but an honest reckoning with its cost. Wisdom that has nowhere to rest only sharpens the ache of a broken world. The verse leaves the reader hungry for a wisdom that does more than diagnose, the wisdom of God, who not only lets us see the world's sorrow but in Christ moves to heal it and to carry the grief we cannot bear alone.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ecclesiastes 1:18
What does Ecclesiastes 1:18 mean?
The deeper one's wisdom and knowledge, the more keenly one feels the world's brokenness and grief.