Job 30:31

30:31 My harp is used for ¹  mourning

and my flute for the sound of weeping.

Proverbs 14:13

14:13 Even in laughter the heart may ache, ² 

and the end ³  of joy may be ⁴  grief.

Ecclesiastes 2:2

2:2 I said of partying, ⁵  “It is folly,”

and of self-indulgent pleasure, ⁶  “It accomplishes nothing!” ⁷ 

Ecclesiastes 7:6

7:6 For like the crackling of quick-burning thorns ⁸  under a cooking pot,

so is the laughter of the fool.

This kind of folly ⁹  also is useless. ¹⁰ 

Lamentations 5:15

5:15 Our hearts no longer have any joy; ¹¹ 

our dancing is turned to mourning.

Luke 6:25

6:25 “Woe to you who are well satisfied with food ¹²  now, for you will be hungry.

“Woe to you ¹³  who laugh ¹⁴  now, for you will mourn and weep.

Luke 16:25

16:25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, ¹⁵  remember that in your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus likewise bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish. ¹⁶ 

Revelation 18:7-8

18:7 As much as ¹⁷  she exalted herself and lived in sensual luxury, ¹⁸  to this extent give her torment and grief because she said to herself, ¹⁹  ‘I rule as queen and am no widow; I will never experience grief!’ 18:8 For this reason, she will experience her plagues ²⁰  in a single day: disease, ²¹  mourning, ²²  and famine, and she will be burned down ²³  with fire, because the Lord God who judges her is powerful!”

[30:31]  ¹ tn The verb הָיָה (hayah, “to be”) followed by the preposition ל (lamed) means “to serve the purpose of” (see Gen 1:14ff., 17:7, etc.).

[14:13]  ² sn No joy is completely free of grief. There is a joy that is superficial and there is underlying pain that will remain after the joy is gone.

[14:13]  ³ tn Heb “and its end, joy, is grief.” The suffix may be regarded as an Aramaism, a proleptic suffix referring to “joy.”

[14:13]  ⁴ tn The phrase “may be” is not in the Hebrew but is supplied from the parallelism, which features an imperfect of possibility.

[2:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “laughter.” The term שְׂחוֹק (sÿkhoq, “laughter”) has a fourfold range of meanings: (1) “joyful laughter” (Ps 126:2; Prov 14:13; Job 8:21); (2) “frivolous laughter, merrymaking” (Eccl 2:2; 7:3, 6); (3) “pleasure, sport” (Prov 10:23; Eccl 10:19); and (4) “derision, mockery, laughingstock” (Jer 20:7; 48:26, 27, 39; Job 12:4; Lam 3:14). See HALOT 1315 s.v שְׂחוֹק; BDB 966 s.v. שְׂחֹק. In Ecclesiastes, שְׂחוֹק is always used in contexts of self-indulgent banqueting, drinking, frivolous partying and merrymaking (Eccl 2:2; 7:3, 6; 10:19). It is distinct from “healthy” joy and laughter (Ps 126:2; Job 8:21). The connotation of “frivolous merrymaking” fits this context best.

[2:2]  ⁶ tn The term שִׂמְחָה (simkhah, “pleasure”) has a two-fold range of meanings in Ecclesiastes: (1) it can refer to the enjoyment of life that Qoheleth affirms is good (5:17; 8:15; 9:7; 11:8, 9) and that God gives to those who are pleasing to him (2:26; 5:19); and (2) it can refer to foolish pleasure, that is, frivolous merrymaking (2:1, 2; 7:4). The parallelism between שִׂמְחָה and שְׂחוֹק (sÿkhoq, “laughter, frivolous merrymaking”) in 2:2 suggests that the pejorative sense is in view here.

[2:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “What does it accomplish?” The rhetorical question “What does it accomplish?” expects a negative answer: “It accomplishes nothing!” (see E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 949–51). See, e.g., Gen 1:19; 18:14, 17; Deut 7:17; 1 Sam 2:25; Job 40:2; Pss 56:7[8]; 90:11; 94:16; 106:2; Eccl 3:21.

[7:6]  ⁸ tn The term “thorns” (הַסִּירִים, hassirim) refers to twigs from wild thorn bushes which were used as fuel for quick heat, but burn out quickly before a cooking pot can be properly heated (e.g., Pss 58:9; 118:12).

[7:6]  ⁹ tn The word “kind of folly” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[7:6]  ¹⁰ tn It is difficult to determine whether the Hebrew term הֶבֶל (hevel) means “fleeting” or “useless” in this context. The imagery of quick-burning thorns under a cooking pot is ambiguous and can be understood in more than one way: (1) It is useless to try to heat a cooking pot by burning thorns because they burn out before the pot can be properly heated; (2) the heat produced by quick-burning thorns is fleeting – it produces quick heat, but lasts only for a moment. Likewise, the “laughter of a fool” can be taken in both ways: (1) In comparison to the sober reflection of the wise, the laughter of fools is morally useless: the burning of thorns, like the laughter of fools, makes a lot of noise but accomplishes nothing; (2) the laughter of fools is fleeting due to the brevity of life and certainty of death. Perhaps this is an example of intentional ambiguity.

[5:15]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the joy of our heart has ceased.”

[6:25]  ¹² tn Grk “who are filled.” See L&N 23.18 for the translation “well satisfied with food.”

[6:25]  ¹³ tc The wording “to you” (ὑμῖν, Jumin) is lacking in several witnesses (א B K L T W Θ Ξ 0147 Ë^1,13 579 700 892 1241 2542 al), though found in most (Ì⁷⁵ A D Q Ψ 33 Ï lat co). The longer reading looks to be a clarifying addition; nevertheless, “to you” is included in the translation because of English requirements.

[6:25]  ¹⁴ sn That is, laugh with happiness and joy.

[16:25]  ¹⁵ tn The Greek term here is τέκνον (teknon), which could be understood as a term of endearment.

[16:25]  ¹⁶ tn Or “in terrible pain” (L&N 24.92). Here is the reversal Jesus mentioned in Luke 6:20-26.

[18:7]  ¹⁷ tn “As much as” is the translation of ὅσα (Josa).

[18:7]  ¹⁸ tn On the term ἐστρηνίασεν (estrhniasen) BDAG 949 s.v. στρηνιάω states, “live in luxury, live sensually Rv 18:7. W. πορνεύειν vs. 9.”

[18:7]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “said in her heart,” an idiom for saying something to oneself.

[18:8]  ²⁰ tn Grk “For this reason, her plagues will come.”

[18:8]  ²¹ tn Grk “death.” θάνατος (qanatos) can in particular contexts refer to a manner of death, specifically a contagious disease (see BDAG 443 s.v. 3; L&N 23.158).

[18:8]  ²² tn This is the same Greek word (πένθος, penqo") translated “grief” in vv. 7-8.

[18:8]  ²³ tn Here “burned down” was used to translate κατακαυθήσεται (katakauqhsetai) because a city is in view.