Ecclesiastes 7:29
See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The crucial insight here is that "schemes" or "inventions" didn't just spring up out of nowhere; they arose because humanity, created by God in a perfect state, actively chose to pursue its own ideas over God's design. This wasn't a passive corruption, but an active seeking of other paths to wisdom and happiness.
After exploring the complexities of life and searching for wisdom, Solomon concludes that he can't grasp every wicked deed. However, he does find one fundamental truth: God created humanity pure and good, but Adam and Eve, and consequently all their descendants, chose to deviate from that design, pursuing countless other schemes and desires instead.
Ever wonder why the world feels so broken? This verse points to a stunning truth about our beginnings.
Solomon declares, 'God made man upright.' This wasn't just a physical posture; it speaks to the original state of humanity. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, were created with a perfect disposition – clear minds, pure hearts, and wills rightly oriented towards God. They were 'right' in alignment with God's nature and will. This original goodness is the foundation upon which God built humanity, a testament to His creative intent for perfection.
If we were made so good, what went wrong? This verse reveals the fundamental shift that fractured our original state.
The 'but' in the verse signals a radical departure. Humanity, instead of resting in God's perfect design, 'sought out many schemes.' This isn't about minor mistakes; it's about a fundamental redirection of human ingenuity and desire. Instead of living by God's wisdom and seeking happiness in Him, our ancestors began devising their own paths, their own 'inventions.' This led to a cascading effect of wrong turns, ultimately away from the Creator and towards self-made, often destructive, plans.
Understand the original words
yashar · Hebrew Adjective
Refers to the original state of humanity as created by God: morally straight, honest, and in right relationship with the Creator, devoid of the corruption brought by the fall.
chishbown · Hebrew Noun
Usually refers to inventions, clever devices, or moral reasonings. In this context, it denotes the complex, sinful ways humanity has devised to deviate from God's simplicity and commands.
This passage directly supports the idea that God created humanity in His own image, which implies an original state of uprightness and perfection before the fall.
Genesis 3:6This verse illustrates the very 'inventions' or schemes mentioned in Ecclesiastes, showing Eve's desire for wisdom beyond what God provided, leading to humanity's departure from its upright state.
Romans 5:12This passage explains the consequence of those 'many schemes' by showing how sin and death entered the world through one man, directly linking the fall of the first man to the corruption of all humanity.
Ephesians 4:24This verse describes the renewed uprightness believers can experience through Christ, contrasting with the 'many schemes' of the old self and highlighting what was lost in the fall.
1 John 3:8This verse clearly states that the devil was the source of sin and that through sin, humanity's original uprightness was corrupted, echoing the theme of deviation from God's design.
wesleyEcclesiastes 7:29: "Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions."
7:29 Lo, this - Though I could not find out all the streams of wickedness, and their infinite windings and turnings, yet I have discovered the fountain of it, Original sin, and the corruption of nature, which is both in men and women. That - God made our first parents, Adam and Eve. Upright - Heb. right: without any imperfection or corruption, conformable to his nature and…
henryEcclesiastes 7:23-29: "All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me."
7:23-29 Solomon, in his search into the nature and reason of things, had been miserably deluded. But he here speaks with godly sorrow. He alone who constantly aims to please God, can expect to escape; the careless sinner probably will fall to rise no more. He now discovered more than ever the evil of the great sin of which he had been guilty, the loving many strange women,
The crucial insight here is that "schemes" or "inventions" didn't just spring up out of nowhere; they arose because humanity, created by God in a perfect state, actively chose to pursue its own ideas over God's design. This wasn't a passive corruption, but an active seeking of other paths to wisdom and happiness.
After exploring the complexities of life and searching for wisdom, Solomon concludes that he can't grasp every wicked deed. However, he does find one fundamental truth: God created humanity pure and good, but Adam and Eve, and consequently all their descendants, chose to deviate from that design, pursuing countless other schemes and desires instead.
After exploring the complexities of life and searching for wisdom, Solomon concludes that he can't grasp every wicked deed. However, he does find one fundamental truth: God created humanity pure and good, but Adam and Eve, and consequently all their descendants, chose to deviate from that design, pursuing countless other schemes and desires instead.
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"See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes." — The crucial insight here is that "schemes" or "inventions" didn't just spring up out of nowhere; they arose because humanity, created by God in a perfect state, actively chose to pursue its own ideas…
