Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thyself overwise why shouldest thou destroy thyself?
Ecclesiastes 7:16 follows a troubling sight. A righteous man dies in his righteousness, while a wicked man lives on. The advice that comes next — don't overdo goodness or wisdom — sounds unlike the rest of Scripture. Commentators split over it. Is it wise counsel, or a wrong conclusion drawn from a hard sight?
The verse is an answer to something the writer has just watched happen. One commentator reads the reply as the reasoning of a man working only from what he can see:
How does the natural man, the philosopher, meet this difficulty? He answers it with what people call "common sense." "Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?" Do not overdo it. Aim for a happy medium. Avoid every kind of excess. Do not be too self-righteous, or you might become proud, and then you destroy yourself.
Not every sentence in Ecclesiastes is there for us to obey. One reference work lists this verse among the writer's own false conclusions:
The book asks what is best for man, and how he should spend his life to be happy on earth. The writer speaks as a human philosopher in his wanderings. Sometimes he gets near the truth, but at other times he is far removed from it. So some passages state man's false conclusions: compare, for example, Ecclesiastes 3:18-22; 7:16-17; 8:15. God's direct teaching comes in the last few verses of the book.
On this reading, verses 16 and 17 form a compromise. Another writer traces that compromise back to what the writer had just seen:
The strange sight in Ecclesiastes 7:15 makes the writer try a middle course between righteousness and wickedness. He still keeps a certain fear of God. But in that middle course he was wrong: wisdom was far from him.
Commentators differ here. Another reads the words as a real warning about pushing even good things too far:
The Preacher notices, like Job, a just man suffering to the utmost through it, and a wicked man prolonging his days by his wickedness. He gives a caution against pushing even good to excess. There is such a thing as being righteous and wise overmuch. Exaggeration is never of God in truth or in anything else. It sacrifices other relationships and exposes one to ruin. But righteousness binds, and one must shun false wisdom: the fear of God guides one safely.
If the warning is real, the danger is not obeying God too well — it is congratulating yourself on it. One writer points to the young man in the gospels, whose own goodness undid him:
Take care that uprightness does not prove a snare to you. The young man in the gospel might have been better if he had not been so good. His honesty and moral uprightness was his undoing — or rather, his high opinion of them. Better to be a tax collector, driven to Christ by a sense of sin, than a Pharisee, kept from Him by a good opinion of his own integrity. Maybe you are honest and upright in your ways. Bless God for it, but take care not to congratulate yourself on it: there is the danger. This is one way of being "righteous over much." There is undoing in this over-doing, as much as in any under-doing.
The same fault turns outward when believers deal with each other. One writer names who gains when strictness costs gentleness:
In some cases the devil himself likes to see believers righteous overmuch, at the cost of "the meekness and gentleness of Christ." Paul could add, "for we are not ignorant of his devices." Sadly, we often cannot say the same.
The words are also used as an insult, thrown at anyone whose devotion looks excessive. One writer pleading with an unconverted reader expects the charge and accepts it:
Shall my loud and bitter cry be to you like the noise of some fanatic — or of one who is righteous overmuch? Well, let it be so; all these and more. I speak from feeling, not by rule. I am content if only you will think again and flee at once to Jesus, who has paid the ransom price of the sinner's redemption.
The chapter ends with the writer admitting his own limits:
But the wise man makes a wise confession: "I said I will be wise; but it was far from me." He owns his ignorance. Everything has left him unsatisfied. He cannot find out by wisdom that which is far off and exceedingly deep. All is imperfection. "There is not a just man on the earth, that does good, and sins not."
- Sight — the verse answers a hard sight: the righteous perish while the wicked live on. The answer comes from "common sense."
- Middle — the answer reached is a middle course between righteousness and wickedness. Commentators differ: wise counsel, or a false conclusion?
- Excess — read as counsel, it warns that exaggeration is never of God. It sacrifices other relationships and exposes one to ruin.
- Self — the real danger is not goodness itself. It is congratulating yourself on it: there is undoing in this over-doing.
- Confession — the search ends in "I said I will be wise; but it was far from me." No one on earth does good and never sins.
Be not overmuch wicked, neither be thou foolish why shouldest thou die before thy time?
The Preacher has just watched a just man suffer for his goodness and a wicked man live long. His answer is a warning against going too far in either direction. Commentators differ over whether that answer is God's wisdom or one man's best guess.
Ecclesiastes records a man's own search, so not every line in it is God's verdict. One reference work names this very passage among its false conclusions:
This expression "under the sun" occurs no fewer than twenty-eight times in the twelve chapters. It gives the character of the book. It describes life "in Adam," and seeks an answer to the questions: What is best for man? How should he spend his life to be happy on earth? The writer speaks as a human philosopher in his wanderings. Sometimes he gets near the truth, but at other times he is far removed from it. So some passages state man's false conclusions: compare, for example, Ecclesiastes 3:18-22; 7:16-17; 8:15. The direct divine teaching comes in the last few verses of the book.
On that reading, the verse is plain human calculation. One writer follows the logic of both halves of the advice:
How does the natural man, the philosopher, meet this difficulty? He answers it with what people call "common sense." "Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?" Do not overdo it, strike a happy medium; avoid every kind of excess... Here is more "common sense" of the natural man. "Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die before your time?" Enjoy yourself, but avoid too much wickedness. Have a good time, but avoid excesses. Not too much righteousness and not too much wickedness; just a happy middle way. Such a way, thinks the natural man, is not compatible with the fear of God.
The compromise does not hold. One writer says plainly where it left him:
The strange sight in Ecclesiastes 7:15 makes the writer try a middle course between righteousness and wickedness. He still keeps a certain fear of God. But in that middle course he was wrong: wisdom was far from him. Wisdom has its difficulties, which man cannot solve.
Later the writer looks back at his own advice and cannot settle it:
But what about his earlier saying, "Be not overly righteous — be not overly wicked"? He is in perplexity... He is like a shipwrecked man swimming through raging waves to reach land. The waves he tries to master keep throwing him back. For all his wisdom, his searching, his conclusions and fine sayings, he is thrown back, and once more he cries "vanity."
Commentators differ here. Others take the caution at face value. Even a good thing can be pushed too far:
Like Job, the Preacher notices a just man suffering to the utmost because of his justice. He also notices a wicked man prolonging his days by his wickedness. So he gives a caution against pushing even good to excess. There is such a thing as being righteous and wise overmuch. Exaggeration is never of God, in truth or in anything else. It sacrifices other relationships and exposes a man to ruin. But righteousness binds, as false wisdom must be shunned: the fear of God guides one safely.
Why would wickedness cut a life short? One writer gives two reasons: what sin brings on itself, and what God does with evil men:
On the other hand, sin naturally tends to shorten life. "Men of blood and treachery shall not live out half their days." Excesses bring their own consequences. Violence often brings human vengeance down on itself. Besides this, God makes examples of evil men, especially those who claim to be under His government. Korah, Dathan and Abiram are an instance of this in the Old Testament, and Ananias and Sapphira in the New.
- Sun — The book measures life "under the sun," in Adam. Some of its statements are man's false conclusions, not God's teaching; the divine answer comes in the closing verses.
- Sight — One disturbing sight starts it all: a just man suffering for his goodness while a wicked man lives long.
- Strategy — The natural man's reply is a happy medium: enough righteousness to avoid ruin, enough pleasure to enjoy life, and no excess either way.
- Shipwreck — That middle course was wrong, and wisdom was far from him. Looking back at his own advice, he is left in perplexity and cries "vanity" again.
- Safety — Commentators differ on how much of this counsel to keep. But safety lies not in balancing extremes; the fear of God guides a man safely.