Lectionary Calendar
Friday, October 4th, 2024
the Week of Proper 21 / Ordinary 26
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Updated Bible Version

Ecclesiastes 7:2

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 man; and the living will lay it to his heart.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Afflictions and Adversities;   Amusements and Worldly Pleasures;   Bereavement;   Death;   Sympathy;   Thompson Chain Reference - Afflictions;   Blessings-Afflictions;   Trials;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Afflictions Made Beneficial;   Amusements and Pleasures, Worldly;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Wisdom literature;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ecclesiastes, the Book of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ecclesiastes, Book of;   Poetry;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ecclesiastes, or the Preacher;   End;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - AḥiḴar;   Simeon B. Abba;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for September 2;  

Parallel Translations

Legacy Standard Bible
Better to go to a house of mourningThan to go to a house of feastingBecause that is the end of all mankind,And the living puts this in his heart.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
It is better to go to a house of mourning Than to go to a house of feasting, Because that is the end of every man, And the living takes it to heart.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
It is better to go into an house of mourning, then into a banketting house: For there is the ende of all men, and he that is liuing taketh it to heart.
Darby Translation
It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting: in that that is the end of all men, and the living taketh it to heart.
New King James Version
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 take it to heart.
Literal Translation
It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting; for it is the end of every man; and the living will lay it to his heart.
Easy-to-Read Version
It is better to go to a funeral than to a party, because everyone must die, and the living need to remember this.
World English Bible
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 should take this to heart.
King James Version (1611)
It is better to goe to the house of mourning, then to goe to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men, and the liuing will lay it to his heart.
King 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.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
It is better to go in to an house of mournynge, then in to a bancket house. For there is the ende of all men, and he that is lyuinge, taketh it to herte.
THE MESSAGE
You learn more at a funeral than at a feast— After all, that's where we'll end up. We might discover something from it.
Amplified Bible
It is better to go to the house of mourning Than to go to the house of feasting, For that [day of death] is the end of every man, And the living will take it to heart and solemnly ponder its meaning.
American Standard 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.
Bible in Basic English
It is better to go to the house of weeping, than to go to the house of feasting; because that is the end of every man, and the living will take it to their hearts.
Webster's Bible Translation
[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.
New English Translation
It is better to go to a funeral than a feast. For death is the destiny of every person, and the living should take this to heart.
Contemporary English Version
It's better to go to a funeral than to attend a feast; funerals remind us that we all must die.
Complete Jewish Bible
Better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for all are destined to be mourned; the living should lay this to heart.
Geneva Bible (1587)
It is better to goe to the house of mourning, then to goe to the house of feasting, because this is the ende of all men: and the liuing shall lay it to his heart.
George Lamsa Translation
It is better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of feasting; for this is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.
Hebrew Names 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 should take this to heart.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
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.
New Living Translation
Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties. After all, everyone dies— so the living should take this to heart.
New Life Bible
It is better to go to a house of sorrow than to go to a house of much eating. For this is the end of all men, and the living takes it to heart.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
A good name is better than good oil; and the day of death than the day of birth.
English Revised 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.
Berean Standard Bible
It is better to enter a house of mourning than a house of feasting, since death is the end of every man, and the living should take this to heart.
New Revised Standard
It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting; for this is the end of everyone, and the living will lay it to heart.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of banqueting, for, that, is the end of all men, - and, the living, should take it to his heart.
Douay-Rheims Bible
(7-3) It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to the house of feasting: for in that we are put in mind of the end of all, and the living thinketh what is to come.
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.
English 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.
New American Standard Bible
It is better to go to a house of mourning Than to go to a house of feasting, Because that is the end of every person, And the living takes it to heart.
New Century Version
It is better to go to a funeral than to a party. We all must die, and everyone living should think about this.
Good News Translation
It is better to go to a home where there is mourning than to one where there is a party, because the living should always remind themselves that death is waiting for us all.
Christian 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.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
It is betere to go to the hous of morenyng, than to the hous of a feeste; for in that hous `of morenyng the ende of alle men is monestid, and a man lyuynge thenkith, what is to comynge.
Revised 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 men, and the living will lay it to heart.
Young's Literal Translation
Better to go unto a house of mourning, Than to go unto a house of banqueting, For that is the end of all men, And the living layeth [it] unto his heart.

Contextual Overview

1 A [good] name is better than precious oil; and the day of death, than the day of one's birth. 2 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 man; and the living will lay it to his heart. 3 Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made glad. 4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. 5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools. 6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

better: Genesis 48:1-22, Genesis 49:2-33, Genesis 50:15-17, Job 1:4, Job 1:5, Isaiah 5:11, Isaiah 5:12, Isaiah 22:12-14, Amos 6:3-6, Matthew 5:4, Matthew 14:6-12, 1 Peter 4:3, 1 Peter 4:4

that: Numbers 23:10, Deuteronomy 32:29, Romans 6:21, Romans 6:22, Philippians 3:19, Hebrews 9:27

living: Deuteronomy 32:46, Isaiah 47:7, Haggai 1:5, *marg. Malachi 2:2

Reciprocal: Esther 1:10 - the heart Ecclesiastes 2:2 - It is Ecclesiastes 9:5 - the living Ecclesiastes 10:19 - feast Jeremiah 12:11 - layeth Jeremiah 16:8 - General Luke 6:21 - ye that weep John 11:19 - to comfort James 4:9 - afflicted 1 Peter 4:7 - the end

Cross-References

Genesis 7:1
And Yahweh said to Noah, Come you and all your house into the ark; for you I have seen righteous before me in this generation.
Genesis 7:8
Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground,
Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
Genesis 7:15
And they went in to Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh wherein is the breath of life.
Genesis 7:19
And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth; and all the high mountains that were under the whole heaven were covered.
Genesis 7:21
And all flesh died that moved on the earth, both birds, and cattle, and beasts, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and all of man:
Genesis 8:20
And Noah built an altar to Yahweh, and took of every clean beast, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt-offerings on the altar.
Leviticus 10:10
and that you may make a distinction between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean;
Ezekiel 44:23
And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and the common, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

[It is] better to go to the house of mourning,.... For deceased relations or friends, who either lie unburied, or have been lately inferred; for the Jews kept their mourning for their dead several days afterwards, when their friends visited them in order to comfort them, as the Jews did Martha and Mary, John 11:31. So the Targum here,

"it is better to go to a mourning man to comfort him;''

for at such times and places the conversation was serious and interesting, and turned upon the subjects of mortality and a future state, and preparation for it; from whence useful and instructive lessons are learned; and so it was much better to be there

than to go to the house of feasting: the Targum is,

"than to the house of a feast of wine of scorners;''

where there is nothing but noise and clamour, luxury and intemperance, carnal mirth and gaiety, vain and frothy conversation, idle talk and impure songs, and a jest made of true religion and godliness, death and another world;

for that [is] the end of all men; not the house of feasting, but the house of mourning; or mourning itself, as Jarchi; every man must expect to lose his relation and friend, and so come to the house of mourning; and must die himself, and be the occasion of mourning: death itself seems rather intended, which is the end of all men, the way of all flesh; for it is appointed for men to die; and so the Targum,

"seeing upon them all is decreed the decree of death;''

and the living will lay [it] to his heart; by going to the house of mourning, he will be put in mind of death, and will think of it seriously, and consider his latter end, how near it is; and that this must be his case shortly, as is the deceased's he comes to mourn for. So the Targum interprets it of words concerning death, or discourses of mortality he there hears, which he takes notice of and lays to his heart, and lays up in it. Jarchi's note is,

"their thought is of the way of death.''

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

That - Namely, what is seen in the house of mourning.

Lay it to his heart - Consider it attentively.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ecclesiastes 7:2. It is better to go to the house of mourningBirthdays were generally kept with great festivity, and to these the wise man most probably refers; but according to his maxim, the miseries of life were so many and so oppressive that the day of a man's death was to be preferred to the day of his birth. But, in dependently of the allusion, it is much more profitable to visit the house of mourning for the dead than the house of festivity. In the former we find occasion for serious and deeply edifying thoughts and reflections; from the latter we seldom return with one profitable thought or one solid impression.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile