| 16 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.” |
As the collector set out of this experiment, to learn wisdom in all actions under the sun, the first area of actions the relates to mental faculties, The collector of sentences seeks understanding and wisdom in activities that take wisdom and knowledge. Solomon asked God to bless him with wisdom and discernment, that he could rule the people well. In II Chronicles 1:12 God blesses Solomon, “12 wisdom and knowledge have been granted to you.” Solomon had wisdom.
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| 17 And I set my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly; I realized that this also is striving after wind. |
After increasing wisdom and knowledge, the Qoheleth sets out to learn of action that come with madness and actions related to silliness or folly, concluding again, “all is striving after wind.”
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| 18 Because in much wisdom there is much grief, and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain. |
The one who goes through life without are does so with a light heart, or at least one that is not as full of care. While gaining wisdom leads to increasing anger and the increasing knowledge leads to an increase in the affliction of sorrow. We have all learned how some people suffer due to poorly constructed law, disease, bullying, along with limitless other activities. This can make us mad and angry, It is not hard to see how learning more and knowing how things should be and are not can be a burden.
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