Ecclesiastes 7:4

4 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 Meaning and Commentary

Ecclesiastes 7:4

The heart of the wise [is] in the house of mourning
When his body is not; when it does not suit him to go thither in person, his mind is there, and his thoughts are employed on the useful subjects of the frailty and mortality of human nature, of death, a future judgment, and a world to come; which shows him to be a wise man, and concerned for the best things, even for his eternal happiness in another state; but the heart of fools [is] in the house of mirth;
where jovial company is, merry songs are sung, and the cup or glass passes briskly round, and all is gay and brilliant: here the fool desires to be oftener than he is, and when he cannot; which shows the folly of his mind, what a vain taste he has, and how thoughtless he is of a future state, and of his eternal welfare.

Ecclesiastes 7:4 In-Context

2 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.
3 Sorrow [is] better than laughter, for by sadness of countenance the heart is made good.
4 The heart of the wise [is] in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools [is] in the house of mirth.
5 Better to listen to [the] rebuke of [the] wise than for a man to listen to [the] song of fools.
6 Like the sound of thorns under a pot, so also the laughter of fools. This also [is] vanity!
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.