KING JAMES VERSION (KJV)
TRANSLATION, MEANING, CONTEXT
To get what Ecclesiastes 1:16 means based on its source text, scroll down or follow these links for the original scriptural meaning , biblical context and relative popularity.
“I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.”
What does this verse really mean? Use this table to get a word-for-word translation of the original Hebrew Scripture. This shows the English words related to the source biblical texts along with brief definitions. Follow the buttons in the right-hand column for detailed definitions and verses that use the same root words. Use this reference information to gain deeper insight into the Bible and enrich your understanding. Information based on Strong's Exhaustive Concordance[1].
| KJV Verse | Original Hebrew | Meaning/ Definition This is a simplified translation of the original Hebrew word. Follow the buttons on the right to get more detail. | More Use the buttons below to get details on the Hebrew word and view related Bible verses that use the same root word. |
|---|---|---|---|
| “I” | אֲנִ֤י | I | I |
| “communed” | דִּבַּ֨רְתִּי | Perhaps properly, to arrange; but used figuratively (of words), to speak; rarely (in a destructive sense) to subdue | communed |
| “with” | עִם | Adverb or preposition, with (i.e., in conjunction with), in varied applications; specifically, equally with; often with prepositional prefix (and then usually unrepresented in English) | with |
| “mine own heart,” | לִבִּי֙ | The heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the center of anything | own heart |
| “saying,” | לֵאמֹ֔ר | To say (used with great latitude) | saying |
| “Lo,” | הִנֵּ֨ה | Lo! | Lo |
| “I” | אֲנִ֗י | I | I |
| “am come to great estate,” | הִגְדַּ֤לְתִּי | To be (causatively make) large (in various senses, as in body, mind, estate or honor, also in pride) | am come great estate |
| “and have gotten more” | וְהוֹסַ֙פְתִּי֙ | To add or augment (often adverbial, to continue to do a thing) | gotten more |
| “wisdom” | חָכְמָ֔ה | Wisdom (in a good sense) | wisdom |
| “than” | עַ֛ל | Above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications | than |
| “all” | כָּל | Properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense) | all |
| “they” | (No Hebrew definition. English implied.) | ||
| “that” | אֲשֶׁר | Who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc | that |
| “have been” | הָיָ֥ה | To exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary) | been |
| “before” | לְפָנַ֖י | The face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.) | before |
| “me in” | עַל | Above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications | me in |
| “Jerusalem:” | יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם | Jerushalaim or Jerushalem, the capital city of Palestine | Jerusalem |
| “yea, my heart” | וְלִבִּ֛י | The heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the center of anything | yea heart |
| “had great” | הַרְבֵּ֖ה | To increase (in whatever respect) | great |
| “experience” | רָאָ֥ה | To see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative) | experience |
| “of wisdom” | חָכְמָ֥ה | Wisdom (in a good sense) | wisdom |
| “and knowledge.” | וָדָֽעַת׃ | Knowledge | knowledge |
See Ecclesiastes 1:16 with its adjacent verses in bold below. Follow either of the two large buttons below to see these verses in their broader context of the King James Bible or a Bible concordance.
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14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
16 I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.
17 And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.
18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
The King James Bible (1611) and Strong's Concordance (1890) with Hebrew and Greek dictionaries are sourced from the BibleForgeDB database (https://github.com/bibleforge) within the BibleForge project (http://bibleforge.com). Popularity rankings are based on search volume data from the Google AdWords Keyword Planner tool.