'Man' in the Bible

Like the legs which are useless to the lame,So is a proverb in the mouth of a fool [who cannot learn from its wisdom].

Like a thorn that goes [without being felt] into the hand of a drunken man,So is a proverb in the mouth of a fool [who remains unaffected by its wisdom].

Do you see a man [who is unteachable and] wise in his own eyes and full of self-conceit?There is more hope for a fool than for him.

As the door turns on its hinges,So does the lazy person on his bed [never getting out of it].

So is the man who deceives his neighbor (acquaintance, friend)And then says, “Was I not joking?”

Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire,So is a contentious man to kindle strife.

Let another praise you, and not your own mouth;A stranger, and not your own lips.

Like a bird that wanders from her nest [with its comfort and safety],So is a man who wanders from his home.

A prudent man sees evil and hides himself and avoids it,But the naive [who are easily misled] continue on and are punished [by suffering the consequences of sin].

As iron sharpens iron,So one man sharpens [and influences] another [through discussion].

As in water face reflects face,So the heart of man reflects man.

Sheol (the place of the dead) and Abaddon (the underworld) are never satisfied;Nor are the eyes of man ever satisfied.

The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold [to separate the impurities of the metal],And each is tested by the praise given to him [and his response to it, whether humble or proud].

The wicked flee when no one pursues them,But the righteous are as bold as a lion.

When a land does wrong, it has many princes,But when the ruler is a man of understanding and knowledge, its stability endures.

A poor man who oppresses and exploits the lowlyIs like a sweeping rain which leaves no food.

Those who set aside the law [of God and man] praise the wicked,But those who keep the law [of God and man] struggle with them.

Better is the poor who walks in his integrityThan he who is crooked and two-faced though he is rich.

He who keeps the law [of God and man] is a wise and discerning son,But he who is a companion of gluttons humiliates his father [and himself].

He who turns his ear away from listening to the law [of God and man],Even his prayer is repulsive [to God].

The rich man [who is conceited and relies on his wealth instead of God] is wise in his own eyes,But the poor man who has understanding [because he relies on God] is able to see through him.

Blessed and favored by God is the man who fears [sin and its consequence] at all times,But he who hardens his heart [and is determined to sin] will fall into disaster.

A man who is burdened with the guilt of human blood (murder)Will be a fugitive until death; let no one support him or give him refuge.

A faithful (right-minded) man will abound with blessings,But he who hurries to be rich will not go unpunished.

To have regard for one person over another and to show favoritism is not good,Because for a piece of bread a man will transgress.

He who [appropriately] reprimands a [wise] man will afterward find more favorThan he who flatters with the tongue.

When the righteous are in authority and become great, the people rejoice;But when the wicked man rules, the people groan and sigh.

A man who flatters his neighbor [with smooth words intending to do harm]Is spreading a net for his own feet.

By his wicked plan an evil man is trapped,But the righteous man sings and rejoices [for his plan brings good things to him].

The righteous man cares for the rights of the poor,But the wicked man has no interest in such knowledge.

If a wise man has a controversy with a foolish and arrogant man,The foolish man [ignores logic and fairness and] only rages or laughs, and there is no peace (rest, agreement).

The bloodthirsty hate the blameless [because of his integrity],But the upright are concerned for his life.

A [shortsighted] fool always loses his temper and displays his anger,But a wise man [uses self-control and] holds it back.

The poor man and the oppressor have this in common:The Lord gives light to the eyes of both.

Where there is no vision [no revelation of God and His word], the people are unrestrained;But happy and blessed is he who keeps the law [of God].

Do you see a [conceited] man who speaks quickly [offering his opinions or answering without thinking]?There is more hope for a [thickheaded] fool than for him.

An angry man stirs up strife,And a hot-tempered and undisciplined man commits many transgressions.

The fear of man brings a snare,But whoever trusts in and puts his confidence in the Lord will be exalted and safe.

Many seek the ruler’s favor,But justice for man comes from the Lord.

An unjust man is repulsive to the righteous,And he who is upright in the way [of the Lord] is repulsive to the wicked.

The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the oracle:The man says to Ithiel, to Ithiel and to Ucal:

Surely I am more brutish and stupid than any man,And I do not have the understanding of a man [for I do not know what I do not know].

The way of an eagle in the air,The way of a serpent on a rock,The way of a ship in the middle of the sea,And the way of a man with a maid.

What advantage does man have from all his workWhich he does under the sun (while earthbound)?

All things are wearisome and all words are frail;Man cannot express it.The eye is not satisfied with seeing,Nor is the ear filled with hearing.

And I set my mind to seek and explore by [man’s] wisdom all [human activity] that has been done under heaven. It is a miserable business and a burdensome task which God has given the sons of men with which to be busy and distressed.

So I turned to consider [secular] wisdom, madness, and folly; for what will the man do who succeeds the king? Nothing except what has already been done.

For there is no [more] lasting remembrance of the wise man than of the fool, since in the days to come all will be long forgotten. And how does the wise man die? Even as the fool!

So I hated all the fruit (gain) of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will succeed me.

And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is vanity (futility, self-conceit).

For there is a man who has labored with wisdom and knowledge and skill, yet gives his legacy to one who has not labored for it. This too is vanity and a great evil.

For what does a man get from all his labor and from the striving and sorrow of his heart with which he labors under the sun?

There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and assure himself that there is good in his labor. Even this, I have seen, is from the hand of God.

and also that every man should eat and drink and see and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.

For the [earthly] fate of the sons of men and the fate of animals is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no preeminence or advantage for man [in and of himself] over an animal, for all is vanity.

Who knows if the spirit of man ascends upward and the spirit of the animal descends downward to the earth?

So I have seen that there is nothing better than that a man should be happy in his own works and activities, for that is his portion (share). For who will bring him [back] to see what will happen after he is gone?

And though one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

The sleep of a working man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the full stomach (greed) of the rich [who hungers for even more] will not let him sleep.

As he came naked from his mother’s womb, so he will return as he came; and he will take away nothing from all his labor that he can carry in his hand.

Also, every man to whom God has given riches and possessions, He has also given the power and ability to enjoy them and to receive [this as] his [allotted] portion and to rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God [to him].

a man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God has not given him the power or capacity to enjoy them [all those things which are gifts from God], but a stranger [in whom he has no interest succeeds him and] enjoys them. This is vanity and it is a [cause of] great distress.

If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many they may be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he is not respected and is not given a proper burial [he is not laid to rest in the sepulcher of his fathers], then I say, “Better the miscarriage than he,

All the labor of man is for his mouth [for self-preservation and enjoyment], and yet the desire [of his soul] is not satisfied.

For what advantage has the wise man over the fool [for being worldly-wise is not the secret to happiness]? What advantage has the poor man who has learned how to walk [publicly] among the living [with men’s eyes on him; for being poor is not the secret to happiness either]?

Whatever exists has already been named [long ago], and it is known what [a frail being] man is; for he cannot dispute with Him who is mightier than he.

For there are many other words that increase futility. What then is the advantage for a man?

For who [limited by human wisdom] knows what is good for man during his lifetime, during the few days of his futile life? He spends them like a shadow [staying busy, but achieving nothing of lasting value]. For who can tell a man what will happen after him [to his work, his treasure, his plans] under the sun [after his life is over]?

It is better to listen to the rebuke of the wise man and pursue wisdomThan for one to listen to the song of fools and pursue stupidity.

For oppression makes a wise man foolish,And a bribe corrupts the [good judgment of the] heart.

In the day of prosperity be joyful,But in the day of adversity consider thatGod has made the one as well as the other,So that man will not find out anything that will be after him.

I have seen everything during my [fleeting] days of futility; there is a righteous man who perishes in [spite of] his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives a long life in [spite of] his wickedness.

Wisdom strengthens the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who always does good and who never sins.

which I am still seeking but have not found. I have found one man among a thousand [who pleases God], but I have not found [such] a woman among all these [a thousand in my harem].

Behold, I have found only this [as a reason]: God made man upright and uncorrupted, but they [both men and women] have sought out many devices [for evil].”

Who is like the wise man?And who knows the interpretation of a matter?A man’s wisdom illumines his face,And causes his stern face to beam.

For there is a proper time and [appropriate] procedure for every delight,Though mankind’s misery and trouble lies heavily upon him [who rebels against the king].

There is no man who has power and authority over the wind to restrain the wind,Nor does he have authority over the day of death;There is no discharge [from service] during time of war,And evil will not rescue those who [actively seek to] practice it.

All this I have seen while applying my mind to every deed that is done under the sun. There is a time in which one man has exercised power over others to their detriment.

Then I commended pleasure and enjoyment, because a man [without God] has no better thing under the sun than to eat and to drink and to be merry, for this will stand by him in his toil through the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.

and I saw all the work of God, I concluded that man cannot discover the work that is done under the sun. Even though man may labor in seeking, he will not discover; and [more than that], though a wise man thinks and claims he knows, he will not be able to find it out.

For I have taken all this to heart, exploring and examining it all, how the righteous (those in right standing with God) and the wise and their deeds are in the hands of God. No man knows whether it will be love or hatred; anything awaits him.

It is the same for all. There is one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean; for the man who offers sacrifices and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as he who swears an oath is, so is he who is afraid to swear an oath.

For man also does not know his time [of death]; like fish caught in a treacherous net, and birds caught in the snare, so the sons of men are ensnared in an evil time when a dark cloud suddenly falls on them.

But there was found in it a poor wise man, and by his wisdom he rescued the city. Yet no man [seriously] remembered that poor man.

If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength; but wisdom [to sharpen the axe] helps him succeed [with less effort].

Yet the fool multiplies words, though no man knows what will happen, and who can tell him what will come after he is gone?

Blessed [prosperous and admired] are you, O land, when your king is a man of noble birth, and your princes and officials feast at the proper time—for strength and not for drunkenness.

Yes, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. All that is to come will be futility.

Rejoice, young man, in your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant in the days of your young manhood. And walk in the ways of your heart and in the desires of your eyes, but know that God will bring you into judgment for all these things.

Furthermore, they are afraid of a high place and of dangers on the road; the almond tree (hair) blossoms [white], and the grasshopper (a little thing) is a burden, and the caperberry (desire, appetite) fails. For man goes to his eternal home and the mourners go about the streets and market places.

When all has been heard, the end of the matter is: fear God [worship Him with awe-filled reverence, knowing that He is almighty God] and keep His commandments, for this applies to every person.

“All of them handle the sword,All expert in war;Each man has his sword at his thigh,Guarding against the terrors of the night.

“Many waters cannot quench love,Nor can rivers drown it.If a man would offer all the riches of his house for love,It would be utterly scorned and despised.”

So the common man has been humbled [before idols]And the man of importance has been degraded,Therefore do not forgive them [O Lord].

The proud look of man will be degradedAnd the arrogance of men will be humbled,And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.

Then the pride of man will be humbledAnd the arrogance of men will be degraded;The Lord alone shall be exalted in that day,

Stop regarding man, whose breath [of life] is in his nostrils [for so little time];For why should he be esteemed?

The brave man and the warrior [He is also removing],The judge and the prophet,The diviner and the elder,