Ecclesiastes 7:2 Meaning and Explanation
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →A house of grief teaches the living more than a house of revelry, because death is every person's end and the wise take that to heart.
What Does Ecclesiastes 7:2 Mean?
Continuing the 'better than' sayings, the Preacher contrasts two houses one might enter: the home of mourning after a death, and the home of celebration. He is not against joy; he is pressing the reader to let mortality do its honest work on the heart.
A funeral strips away illusion and asks what a life is for. To 'lay it to heart' is to let that question reshape how we live now. Feasting can numb; grief can awaken. The believer who faces death squarely is freed to number his days and to live for what lasts beyond them.
Ecclesiastes 7:2 in the Original Language
ebel (אֵבֶל), 'mourning' -- the formal grief of a household after a death.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ecclesiastes 7:2
What does Ecclesiastes 7:2 mean?
A house of grief teaches the living more than a house of revelry, because death is every person's end and the wise take that to heart.