Ecclesiastes 7:2

NETBible

It is better to go to a funeral 1  than a feast. 2  For death 3  is the destiny 4  of every person, 5  and the living should 6  take this 7  to heart.

NIV ©

It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart.

NASB ©

It is better to go to a house of mourning Than to go to a house of feasting, Because that is the end of every man, And the living takes it to heart.

NLT ©

It is better to spend your time at funerals than at festivals. For you are going to die, and you should think about it while there is still time.

MSG ©

You learn more at a funeral than at a feast--After all, that's where we'll end up. We might discover something from it.

BBE ©

It is better to go to the house of weeping, than to go to the house of feasting; because that is the end of every man, and the living will take it to their hearts.

NRSV ©

It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting; for this is the end of everyone, and the living will lay it to heart.

NKJV ©

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 take it to heart.

KJV
[It is] better
<02896>
to go
<03212> (8800)
to the house
<01004>
of mourning
<060>_,
than to go
<03212> (8800)
to the house
<01004>
of feasting
<04960>_:
for
<0834>
that [is] the end
<05490>
of all men
<0120>_;
and the living
<02416>
will lay
<05414> (8799)
[it] to his heart
<03820>_.
NASB ©
It is better
<2896>
to go
<1980>
to a house
<1004>
of mourning
<60>
Than
<4480>
to go
<1980>
to a house
<1004>
of feasting
<4960>
, Because
<834>
that is the end
<5490>
of every
<3605>
man
<120>
, And the living
<2416>
takes
<5414>

it
to heart
<3820>
.
LXXM
agayon
<18> 
A-NSN
poreuyhnai
<4198> 
V-APN
eiv
<1519> 
PREP
oikon
<3624> 
N-ASM
penyouv
<3997> 
N-GSN
h
<2228> 
CONJ
oti
<3754> 
CONJ
poreuyhnai
<4198> 
V-APN
eiv
<1519> 
PREP
oikon
<3624> 
N-ASM
potou
<4224> 
N-GSM
kayoti
<2530> 
CONJ
touto
<3778> 
D-NSN
telov
<5056> 
N-NSN
pantov
<3956> 
A-GSM
tou
<3588> 
T-GSM
anyrwpou
<444> 
N-GSM
kai
<2532> 
CONJ
o
<3588> 
T-NSM
zwn
<2198> 
V-PAPNS
dwsei
<1325> 
V-FAI-3S
eiv
<1519> 
PREP
kardian
<2588> 
N-ASF
autou
<846> 
D-GSM
NET [draft] ITL
It is better
<02896>
to go
<01980>
to
<0413>
a funeral
<060>
than a feast
<04960>
. For
<0834>
death
<01931>
is the destiny
<05490>
of every
<03605>
person
<0120>
, and the living
<02416>
should take
<05414>
this to
<0413>
heart
<03820>
.
HEBREW
wbl
<03820>
la
<0413>
Nty
<05414>
yxhw
<02416>
Mdah
<0120>
lk
<03605>
Pwo
<05490>
awh
<01931>
rsab
<0834>
htsm
<04960>
tyb
<01004>
la
<0413>
tklm
<01980>
lba
<060>
tyb
<01004>
la
<0413>
tkll
<01980>
bwj (7:2)
<02896>
NETBible

It is better to go to a funeral 1  than a feast. 2  For death 3  is the destiny 4  of every person, 5  and the living should 6  take this 7  to heart.

NET Notes

1 tn Heb “house of mourning.” The phrase refers to a funeral where the deceased is mourned.

2 tn Heb “house of drinking”; or “house of feasting.” The Hebrew noun מִשְׁתֶּה (mishteh) can denote (1) “feast; banquet,” occasion for drinking-bouts (1 Sam 25:36; Isa 5:12; Jer 51:39; Job 1:5; Esth 2:18; 5:14; 8:17; 9:19) or (2) “drink” (exilic/postexilic – Ezra 3:7; Dan 1:5, 8, 16); see HALOT 653 s.v. מִשְׁתֶּה 4; BDB 1059 s.v. שָׁתַה.

2 sn Qoheleth recommended that people soberly reflect on the brevity of life and the reality of death (It is better to go to a house of mourning) than to waste one’s life in the foolish pursuit of pleasure (than to go to a house of banqueting). Sober reflection on the brevity of life and reality of death has more moral benefit than frivolous levity.

3 tn Heb “it”; the referent (“death”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

4 tn Heb “the end.” The noun סוֹף (sof) literally means “end; conclusion” (HALOT 747 s.v. סוֹף 1; BDB 693 s.v. סוֹף). It is used in this context in reference to death, as the preceding phrase “house of mourning” (i.e., funeral) suggests.

5 tn Heb “all men” or “every man.”

6 tn The imperfect tense verb יִתֵּן, yitten (from נָתָן, natan, “to give”) functions in a modal sense, denoting obligation, that is, the subject’s obligatory or necessary conduct: “should” or “ought to” (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 31-32, §172; IBHS 508-9 §31.4g).

7 tn The word “this” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for smoothness.