Ecclesiastes 7:4

4 (7-5) The heart of the wise is where there is mourning, and the heart of fools where there is 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 (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.

3 (7-4) Anger is better than laughter: because by the sadness of the countenance the mind of the offender is corrected.

4 (7-5) The heart of the wise is where there is mourning, and the heart of fools where there is mirth.

5 (7-6) It is better to be rebuked by a wise man, than to be deceived by the flattery of fools.

6 (7-7) For as the crackling of thorns burning under a pot, so is the laughter of a fool: now this also is vanity.