Approaching God with Awe
Ecclesiastes 5:5
In 11 translations
- BSB
- It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.
- KJV
- Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
- WEB
- It is better that you should not vow, than that you should vow and not pay.
- ASV
- Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
- LSV
- Better that you do not vow, than that you vow and do not complete.
- YLT
- Better that thou do not vow, than that thou dost vow and dost not complete.
- DBY
- Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
- DRC5:4
- And it is much better not to vow, than after a vow not to perform the things promised.
- GNV5:4
- It is better that thou shouldest not vowe, then that thou shouldest vow and not pay it.
- JPS5:4
- Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
- LXXE5:4
- It is better that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.
Word by word Hebrew · tap a word
Words in brackets are English the glossers added; the Hebrew has no word for them, and they can carry a choice of tense or meaning.
Where the editions differ
Editions are published forms of the Hebrew and Greek texts. Meet the editions and sources →
Spelling, punctuation and minor wording (1)
- Aleppo Codex and Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia and Ben Chaim’s Second Rabbinic Bible reads מִשֶּׁתִּדּ֖וֹר; Leningrad Codex reads מִשֶׁתִּדּ֖וֹר (“more than what you will vow”).
Edition differences: STEP Bible, based on work at Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0). Names and codes expanded; consecutive words grouped. Comparisons follow the editions used by the source; see version details.
Original-language editions
- WLC5:4
- ט֖וֹב אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹֽא־תִדֹּ֑ר מִשֶׁתִּדּ֖וֹר וְלֹ֥א תְשַׁלֵּֽם׃KJV:Eccl.5.5Marks a place where we agree with BHQ against BHS in reading L.Marks an anomalous form.We read punctuation in L differently from BHS.
- LXX-Br5:4
- Ἀγαθὸν τὸ μὴ εὔξασθαί σε, ἢ τὸ εὔξασθαί σε καὶ μὴ ἀποδοῦναι.
In the reference works topics that cite this verse
From public-domain Bible dictionaries and topical indexes (1884–1915).
Cross-references most cited first
- Acts 5:4Did it not belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? How could you conceive such a deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God!”
- Deuteronomy 23:22But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty of sin.
- Proverbs 20:25It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly, only later to reconsider his vows.
From the OpenBible.info cross-reference set (votes from readers; not every link is a quotation or allusion).
Verse numbering differs between Bibles
- 5:4 in some Bibles
- 5:5 in most Bibles