Eclesiastés 7:1-10

1 Mejor es el buen nombre que el buen ungüento; y el día de la muerte que el día del nacimiento

2 Mejor es ir a la casa del luto que a la casa del convite; porque aquello es el fin de todos los hombres; y el que vive se advertirá

3 Mejor es el pesar que la risa; porque con la tristeza del rostro se enmendará el corazón

4 El corazón de los sabios está en la casa del luto; mas el corazón de los locos, en la casa del placer

5 Mejor es oír la reprensión del sabio, que la canción de los locos

6 Porque la risa del loco es como el estrépito de las espinas debajo de la olla. Y también la risa o la prosperidad del loco es vanidad

7 Ciertamente la opresión hace enloquecer al sabio; y la dádiva corrompe el corazón

8 Mejor es el fin del negocio que su principio; mejor es el sufrido de espíritu que el altivo de espíritu

9 No te apresures en tu espíritu a enojarte; porque la ira reposa en el seno de los locos

10 Nunca digas: ¿Cuál es la causa de que los tiempos pasados fueran mejores que éstos? Porque nunca de esto preguntarás con sabiduría

Eclesiastés 7:1-10 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO ECCLESIASTES 7

The wise man having exposed the many vanities to which men are subject in this life, and showed that there is no real happiness in all outward enjoyments under the sun; proceeds to observe what are remedies against them, of which he had interspersed some few hints before, as the fear and worship of God, and the free and, moderate use of the creatures; and here suggests more, and such as will protect from them, or support under them, or teach and instruct how to behave while attended with them, and to direct to what are proper and necessary in the pursuit of true and real happiness; such as care of a good name and reputation, Ec 7:1; frequent meditation on mortality, Ec 7:2-4; listening to the rebukes of the wise, which are preferable to the songs and mirth of fools, Ec 7:5,6; avoiding oppression and bribery, which are very pernicious, Ec 7:7; patience under provocations, and present bad times, as thought to be, Ec 7:8-10; a pursuit of that wisdom and knowledge which has life annexed to it, Ec 7:11,12; submission to the will of God, and contentment in every state, Ec 7:13,14; shunning extremes in righteousness and sin, the best antidote against which is the fear of God, Ec 7:15-18; such wisdom as not to be offended with everything that is done, or word that is spoken, considering the imperfection of the best of men, the weakness of others, and our own, Ec 7:19-22; and then the wise man acknowledges the imperfection of his own wisdom and knowledge, notwithstanding the pains he had taken, Ec 7:23-25; and laments his sin and folly in being drawn aside by women, Ec 7:26-28; and opens the cause of the depravity of human nature, removes it from God, who made man upright, and ascribes it to man, the inventor of evil things, Ec 7:29.