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. The verbs unfold a warning not through volume, but through verbal form. Let’s examine the three key verbs and the binyanim they use to paint this paradox.

Three Verbs, Three Warnings

1. תְּהִי — You should be

• Root: ה־י־ה (“to be”)
• Binyan: Qal (imperfect jussive, 2nd person masculine singular)
• Voice: Active
• Form: Negative imperative + jussive: אַל־תְּהִי (“do not be”)
• Function: Moral existence—not behavior, but character: “Do not become overly righteous”
• Comment: The Qal binyan in this case is existential—it describes being rather than doing. Its simplicity is deliberate: righteousness here is not condemned, but its excessive form is—righteousness that turns self-righteous or rigid.

2. תִּתְחַכַּם — You make yourself wise

• Root: ח־כ־ם (“to be wise”)
• Binyan: Hitpael (imperfect jussive, 2nd person masculine singular)
• Prefix: תִּתְ־ signals Hitpael + imperfect
• Voice: Reflexive
• Meaning: “Do not become too wise” or “do not wise yourself up too much”
• Semantic Insight: The Hitpael form is critical—it signals reflexivity. This is self-wisdom, or perhaps self-declared wisdom. The problem is not wisdom itself, but self-crafted intellectual superiority.
• Stylistic Effect: Hitpael here exposes pride. It’s not divine wisdom or communal learning—it’s internal inflation. The binyan critiques a wisdom that folds back on the self.

3. תִּשֹּׁומֵם — You be desolate / ruined

• Root: שׁ־מ־ם (“to be desolate, astonished, destroyed”)
• Binyan: Likely Niphal or Pual (imperfect, 2nd person masculine singular)
• Voice: Passive or reflexive nuance
• Form Note: The doubling and the וֹ vowel point toward a Pual-like form, but many scholars treat it as Niphal because of the semantic function and jussive context.
• Function: Result of excess—spiritual or existential ruin
• Literary Effect: The contrast is sharp: in trying to be too righteous or too wise, one ends up shamem—a ruined wasteland, silent or destroyed.
• Theological Implication: The passive binyan underscores that this destruction isn’t deliberate—it’s the result of imbalance. You don’t destroy yourself actively—you become ruined.

Wisdom in the Binyanim: A Contrast Chart

How the Binyan Shapes the Irony

This verse thrives on irony—and the binyanim amplify it. The one who tries too hard to be (Qal) righteous ends in ruin. The one who reflexively makes himself wise (Hitpael) collapses into passive destruction (Niphal/Pual). Each binyan pushes the irony forward: overreaching leads to unraveling.

In essence, Ecclesiastes 7:16 warns that even virtue, when distorted by ego, can become vice. And the grammar itself mirrors the spiritual imbalance.

The Binyanim of Balance

Sometimes the most profound lessons are whispered in the smallest grammatical shifts. This verse doesn’t say “don’t be righteous” or “don’t be wise.” It says: don’t force it. Don’t inflate yourself with spiritual pride or intellectual vanity. The Hitpael warns against self-made wisdom. The Niphal/Pual shows what’s left when the self implodes.

And the Qal? It stands quietly at the start—urging us to simply be righteous… but not excessively.

That’s the wisdom of Ecclesiastes. And that’s the beauty of its binyanim.