Ecclesiastes 7:5

5 You'll get more from the rebuke of a sage Than from the song and dance of fools.

Ecclesiastes 7:5 Meaning and Commentary

Ecclesiastes 7:5

[It is] better to hear the rebuke of the wise
To listen to it diligently, receive it cordially, and act according to it; though it may be disagreeable to the flesh, and give present pain, yet the effect and issue will be good, and show that man to be wise that hears it, as well as he that gives it; see ( Psalms 141:1 ) ( Proverbs 15:31 Proverbs 15:32 ) ( 17:10 ) ; than for a man to hear the song of fools;
the vain and impure songs that foolish men sing in the house of mirth; or the flatteries of foolish men, which tickle and please the mind, as music and songs do: or, "than a man that hears the song of fools" ^F9, and is pleased with it.

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FOOTNOTES:

F9 (Mylyok ryv emv vyam) "quam vir audiens canticum stultorum", Montanus, Mercerus; "prae viro audiente canticum stultorum", Rambachius.

Ecclesiastes 7:5 In-Context

3 Crying is better than laughing. It blotches the face but it scours the heart.

4 Sages invest themselves in hurt and grieving. Fools waste their lives in fun and games.

5 You'll get more from the rebuke of a sage Than from the song and dance of fools.

6 The giggles of fools are like the crackling of twigs Under the cooking pot. And like smoke.

7 Brutality stupefies even the wise And destroys the strongest heart.