Logos Bible Study

Ecclesiastes 7:2–4

The NET BibleOther versions

English

Arabic

Czech

French

German

Hebrew

Hungarian

Italian

Korean

Latin

Portuguese

Russian

Simplified Chinese

Spanish

Traditional Chinese

7:2It is better to go to a funeral9

than a feast.10

For death11 is the destiny12 of every person,13

and the living should14 take this15 to heart.

7:3Sorrow16 is better than laughter,

because sober reflection17 is good for the heart.18

7:4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,

but the heart of fools is in the house of merrymaking.19

Read in Logos

Footnotes

  1. 9 Heb “house of mourning.” The phrase refers to a funeral where the deceased is mourned.
  2. 10 Heb “house of drinking”; or “house of feasting.” The Hebrew noun מִשְׁתֶּה (mishteh) can denote (1) “feast; banquet,” occasion for drinking-bouts (1 Sam 25:36; Isa 5:12; Jer 51:39; Job 1:5; Esth 2:18; 5:14; 8:17; 9:19) or (2) “drink” (exilic/postexilic—Ezra 3:7; Dan 1:5, 8, 16); see מִשְׁתֶּה 4; 1059 שָׁתַה. Qoheleth recommended that people soberly reflect on the brevity of life and the reality of death (It is better to go to a house of mourning) than to waste one’s life in the foolish pursuit of pleasure (than to go to a house of banqueting). Sober reflection on the brevity of life and reality of death has more moral benefit than frivolous levity.
  3. 11 Heb “it”; the referent (“death”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  4. 12 Heb “the end.” The noun סוֹף (sof) literally means “end; conclusion” ( סוֹף 1; 693 סוֹף). It is used in this context in reference to death, as the preceding phrase “house of mourning” (i.e., funeral) suggests.
  5. 13 Heb “all men” or “every man.”
  6. 14 The imperfect tense verb יִתֵּן, yitten (from נָתָן, natan, “to give”) functions in a modal sense, denoting obligation, that is, the subject’s obligatory or necessary conduct: “should” or “ought to” (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 31–32, §172; §31.4g).
  7. 15 The word “this” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.
  8. 16 suggests “grief”; , “vexation.”
  9. 17 Heb “in sadness of face there is good for the heart.”
  10. 18 Or possibly “Though the face is sad, the heart may be glad.”
  11. 19 The expression the house of merrymaking refers to a banquet where those who attend engage in self-indulgent feasting and riotous drinking.

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

It is better to go to the house of mourning

than to go to the house of feasting,

for this is the end of all mankind,

and the living will lay it to heart.

Sorrow is better than laughter,

for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,

but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

It is better to go to a house of mourning

than to go to a house of feasting,

for death is the destiny of everyone;

the living should take this to heart.

Frustration is better than laughter,

because a sad face is good for the heart.

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,

but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

It is better to go to a house of mourning

than to go to a house of feasting,

since that is the end of all mankind,

and the living should take it to heart.

Grief is better than laughter,

for when a face is sad, a heart may be glad.

The heart of the wise is in a house of mourning,

but the heart of fools is in a house of pleasure.

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties.

After all, everyone dies—

so the living should take this to heart.

Sorrow is better than laughter,

for sadness has a refining influence on us.

A wise person thinks a lot about death,

while a fool thinks only about having a good time.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Better to go to the house of mourning

than to go to the house of feasting,

for death is the end of every person,

and the living should take it to his heart.

Sorrow is better than laughter,

for by sadness of countenance the heart is made good.

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,

but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

Public Domain