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Too Righteous, Too Wise: The Binyanim of Overreach in Ecclesiastes 7:16
אַל־תְּהִ֤י צַדִּיק֙ הַרְבֵּ֔ה וְאַל־תִּתְחַכַּ֖ם יֹותֵ֑ר לָ֖מָּה תִּשֹּׁומֵֽם׃
(Ecclesiastes 7:16)
Do not be overly righteous and do not make yourself too wise why should you be desolate
Wisdom in Restraint—Or Restraint in Wisdom?
Ecclesiastes 7:16 is one of the most enigmatic verses in biblical wisdom literature. It cautions against excess—even in righteousness and wisdom. But it’s not only the content that arrests attention—it’s the grammar. The binyanim in this verse—Qal, Hitpael, and Niphal/Pual—create a poetic tension between action and consequence, self-elevation and self-destruction.… Learn Hebrew
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