Ecclesiastes 7:7

Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart.

Cross-references

Ecclesiastes 4:1 Related theme

Ecclesiastes 4:1 describes the same oppressive reality — tears of the oppressed with no comforter — amplifying the warning about oppression.

Exodus 23:8 Parallel

Exodus 23:8 warns that bribes blind and subvert justice, directly matching the heart-corrupting effect of bribes in Ecclesiastes 7:7.

Deuteronomy 16:19 states bribes blind the eyes of the wise, paralleling how bribes corrupt the heart in Ecclesiastes 7:7.

Deuteronomy 28:34 explicitly says oppression will drive you mad—the same outcome Ecclesiastes 7:7 attributes to oppression.

Proverbs 17:23 states the wicked take bribes to pervert justice, directly echoing the bribery corruption in Ecclesiastes 7:7.

Isaiah 1:23 Parallel

Isaiah 1:23 condemns bribes among rulers, mirroring how a bribe corrupts the heart in Ecclesiastes 7:7.

Isaiah 33:15 describes the righteous who refuses bribes — contrasting with the corruption warned about here.

1 Samuel 8:3 Historical context

1 Samuel 8:3 gives a historical example of bribery perverting justice, illustrating the corruption Ecclesiastes 7:7 warns against.

1 Samuel 21:13 Historical context

1 Samuel 21:13 shows David feigning madness under threat — an illustration of oppression driving a wise man to act mad.

1 Samuel 12:3 shows Samuel's clean record—no bribery or oppression—contrasting the corrupting influences mentioned in Ecclesiastes 7:7.

1 Samuel 21:14 Historical context

1 Samuel 21:14 records Achish declaring David insane — the result of David's feigned madness under oppression, paralleling the theme.