Ecclesiastes 1:16
Strong's Lexicon
I
אֲנִ֤י (’ă·nî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew 589: 1) I (first pers. sing. -usually used for emphasis)

said
דִּבַּ֨רְתִּי (dib·bar·tî)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew 1696: 1) to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing 1a) (Qal) to speak 1b) (Niphal) to speak with one another, talk 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to speak 1c2) to promise 1d) (Pual) to be spoken 1e) (Hithpael) to speak 1f) (Hiphil) to lead away, put to flight

to
עִם־ (‘im-)
Preposition
Strong's Hebrew 5973: 1) with 1a) with 1b) against 1c) toward 1d) as long as 1e) beside, except 1f) in spite of

myself,
לִבִּי֙ (lib·bî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew 3820: 1) inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding 1a) inner part, midst 1a1) midst (of things) 1a2) heart (of man) 1a3) soul, heart (of man) 1a4) mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory 1a5) inclination, resolution, determination (of will) 1a6) conscience 1a7) heart (of moral character) 1a8) as seat of appetites 1a9) as seat of emotions and passions 1a10) as seat of courage

לֵאמֹ֔ר (lê·mōr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's Hebrew 559: 1) to say, speak, utter 1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend 1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called 1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly 1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch

“Behold,
הִנֵּ֨ה (hin·nêh)
Interjection
Strong's Hebrew 2009: 1) behold, lo, see, if

I
אֲנִ֗י (’ă·nî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew 589: 1) I (first pers. sing. -usually used for emphasis)

have grown
הִגְדַּ֤לְתִּי (hiḡ·dal·tî)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew 1431: 1) to grow, become great or important, promote, make powerful, praise, magnify, do great things 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to grow up 1a2) to become great 1a3) to be magnified 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to cause to grow 1b2) to make great, powerful 1b3) to magnify 1c) (Pual) to be brought up 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to make great 1d2) to magnify 1d3) to do great things 1e) (Hithpael) to magnify oneself

and increased
וְהוֹסַ֙פְתִּי֙ (wə·hō·w·sap̄·tî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew 3254: 1) to add, increase, do again 1a) (Qal) to add, increase, do again 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to join, join oneself to 1b2) to be joined, be added to 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to cause to add, increase 1c2) to do more, do again

in wisdom
חָכְמָ֔ה (ḥāḵ·māh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew 2451: 1) wisdom 1a) skill (in war) 1b) wisdom (in administration) 1c) shrewdness, wisdom 1d) wisdom, prudence (in religious affairs) 1e) wisdom (ethical and religious)

beyond
עַ֛ל (‘al)
Preposition
Strong's Hebrew 5921: prep 1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against 1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards 1b) above, beyond, over (of excess) 1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence) 1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition) 1e) over (of suspension or extension) 1f) by, adjoining, next, at, over, around (of contiguity or proximity) 1g) down upon, upon, on, from, up upon, up to, towards, over towards, to, against (with verbs of motion) 1h) to (as a dative) conj 2) because that, because, notwithstanding, although

all
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's Hebrew 3605: 1) all, the whole 1a) all, the whole of 1b) any, each, every, anything 1c) totality, everything

those
אֲשֶׁר־ (’ă·šer-)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's Hebrew 834: 1) (relative part.) 1a) which, who 1b) that which 2) (conj) 2a) that (in obj clause) 2b) when 2c) since 2d) as 2e) conditional if

before me
לְפָנַ֖י (lə·p̄ā·nay)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct | first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew 6440: 1) face 1a) face, faces 1b) presence, person 1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim) 1d) face (of animals) 1e) face, surface (of ground) 1f) as adv of loc/temp 1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before 1g) with prep 1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of

who were
הָיָ֥ה (hā·yāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew 1961: 1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out 1a) (Qal) 1a1) ----- 1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass 1a1b) to come about, come to pass 1a2) to come into being, become 1a2a) to arise, appear, come 1a2b) to become 1a2b1) to become 1a2b2) to become like 1a2b3) to be instituted, be established 1a3) to be 1a3a) to exist, be in existence 1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time) 1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality) 1a3d) to accompany, be with 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to occur, come to pass, be done, be brought about 1b2) to be done, be finished, be gone

over
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's Hebrew 5921: prep 1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against 1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards 1b) above, beyond, over (of excess) 1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence) 1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition) 1e) over (of suspension or extension) 1f) by, adjoining, next, at, over, around (of contiguity or proximity) 1g) down upon, upon, on, from, up upon, up to, towards, over towards, to, against (with verbs of motion) 1h) to (as a dative) conj 2) because that, because, notwithstanding, although

Jerusalem,
יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם (yə·rū·šā·lim)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew 3389: Jerusalem = 'teaching of peace' 1) the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split

and my mind
וְלִבִּ֛י (wə·lib·bî)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew 3820: 1) inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding 1a) inner part, midst 1a1) midst (of things) 1a2) heart (of man) 1a3) soul, heart (of man) 1a4) mind, knowledge, thinking, reflection, memory 1a5) inclination, resolution, determination (of will) 1a6) conscience 1a7) heart (of moral character) 1a8) as seat of appetites 1a9) as seat of emotions and passions 1a10) as seat of courage

has observed
רָאָ֥ה (rā·’āh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew 7200: 1) to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to see 1a2) to see, perceive 1a3) to see, have vision 1a4) to look at, see, regard, look after, see after, learn about, observe, watch, look upon, look out, find out 1a5) to see, observe, consider, look at, give attention to, discern, distinguish 1a6) to look at, gaze at 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to appear, present oneself 1b2) to be seen 1b3) to be visible 1c) (Pual) to be seen 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to cause to see, show 1d2) to cause to look intently at, behold, cause to gaze at 1e) (Hophal) 1e1) to be caused to see, be shown 1e2) to be exhibited to 1f) (Hithpael) to look at each other, face

a wealth
הַרְבֵּ֖ה (har·bêh)
Verb - Hifil - Infinitive absolute
Strong's Hebrew 7235: 1) be or become great, be or become many, be or become much, be or become numerous 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to become many, become numerous, multiply (of people, animals, things) 1a2) to be or grow great 1b) (Piel) to make large, enlarge, increase, become many 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to make much, make many, have many 1c1a) to multiply, increase 1c1b) to make much to do, do much in respect of, transgress greatly 1c1c) to increase greatly or exceedingly 1c2) to make great, enlarge, do much 2) (Qal) to shoot

of wisdom
חָכְמָ֥ה (ḥāḵ·māh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew 2451: 1) wisdom 1a) skill (in war) 1b) wisdom (in administration) 1c) shrewdness, wisdom 1d) wisdom, prudence (in religious affairs) 1e) wisdom (ethical and religious)

and knowledge.”
וָדָֽעַת׃ (wā·ḏā·‘aṯ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew 1847: 1) knowledge 1a) knowledge, perception, skill 1b) discernment, understanding, wisdom

Parallel Strong's
Berean Study Bible
I said to myself, “Behold, I have grown and increased in wisdom beyond all those before me who were over Jerusalem, and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.”

Young's Literal Translation
I—I spake with my heart, saying, ‘I, lo, I have magnified and added wisdom above every one who hath been before me at Jerusalem, and my heart hath seen abundantly wisdom and knowledge.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I said to myself , “ Look, I have amassed wisdom far beyond all those who were over Jerusalem before me, and my mind has thoroughly grasped wisdom and knowledge.”

New American Standard Bible
I said to myself, "Behold, I have magnified and increased wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge."

King James Bible
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.
Parallel Verses
New International Version
I said to myself, "Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge."

New Living Translation
I said to myself, "Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them."

English Standard Version
I said in my heart, “I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.”

New American Standard Bible
I said to myself, "Behold, I have magnified and increased wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge."

King James Bible
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.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I said to myself, "Look, I have amassed wisdom far beyond all those who were over Jerusalem before me, and my mind has thoroughly grasped wisdom and knowledge."

International Standard Version
I told myself, "I have become greater and wiser than anyone who ruled before me in Jerusalem—yes, I have acquired a great deal of wisdom and knowledge."

NET Bible
I thought to myself, "I have become much wiser than any of my predecessors who ruled over Jerusalem; I have acquired much wisdom and knowledge."

American Standard Version
I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I have gotten me great wisdom above all that were before me in Jerusalem; yea, my heart hath had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

English Revised Version
I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I have gotten me great wisdom above all that were before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart hath had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

Young's Literal Translation
I -- I spake with my heart, saying, 'I, lo, I have magnified and added wisdom above every one who hath been before me at Jerusalem, and my heart hath seen abundantly wisdom and knowledge.
















Cross References
1 Kings 3:12
Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee.

1 Kings 4:30
And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt.

1 Kings 10:23
So king Solomon exceeded all the kings of the earth for riches and for wisdom.

Ecclesiastes 2:9
So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.

Ecclesiastes 1:1
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

Ecclesiastes 1:15
That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.

Ecclesiastes 1:14
I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Ecclesiastes 1:13
And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

Ecclesiastes 1:17
And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.

Ecclesiastes 1:18
For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.

Ecclesiastes 2:1
I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.
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