Key Verse Spotlight
Ecclesiastes 7:4 — Meaning and Application
Understand how this verse speaks to what you're facing—and how to apply it today
King James Version
" The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. "
Ecclesiastes 7:4
Verse in Context
Understanding the surrounding verses prevents misinterpretation:
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.
It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.
For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.
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From This Chapter
Ecclesiastes 7:1
"A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one's birth."
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 men; and the living will lay it to his heart."
Ecclesiastes 7:3
"Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better."
Ecclesiastes 7:5
"It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools."
Ecclesiastes 7:6
"For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity."
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