Ecclesiastes 7:2–3
The Preacher says the house of mourning teaches the heart
Study it word by word2Better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, because that is the end of every human being, and the living will lay it to his heart.
3Better is grief than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made better.
In its context
1Better is a good name than good perfume, and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.
…
4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, and the heart of the senseless in the house of joy.
5Better to hear the rebuke of a wise man than to be a man who hears the song of the senseless.
Its words in the original
- טוֹבtov· good
Good in the widest sense: pleasant, beautiful, useful, right, of good quality. As a noun, "good", "good things", "well-being".
- לֶכֶתlechet· go, walk
Go, walk, depart; in the causative form, lead or bring.
- בֵּיתbet· house, household
House. Also the family that lives in it ("the house of Noah") and someone's descendants ("the house of David"); also a temple, "the house of God".
- אֵבֶלevel· mourning
Mourning, grief for one who has died.
- מִשְׁתֶּהmishte· feast
Feast, banquet; drink.
- סוֹףsof· end
End: where something finishes.
- אָדָםadam· human being, man, Adam
The Hebrew word "adam". It has three uses: (1) humanity in general, men and women alike: "human beings" (Genesis 1:27); (2) a particular man; in Genesis 2-4, the first man, "the man"; (3) the personal name of that first man, "Adam". In Hebrew "adam" sounds like "adamah", the ground he was formed from (Genesis 2:7).
- חַיchay· living, animal, life
Living, alive; also fresh (of water). As a noun, "living thing" or "animal" (above all wild animals); in the plural, "life".
- יִתֵּןyiten· give, put, set
Give, in a very wide sense: hand over, put, place, grant, allow, make something be.
- לִבּlib· heart
Heart. In Hebrew it is not only the place of feelings: it is the center of the person, where one thinks, decides and wills; also the middle of something.
- כַּעַסkaas· provocation, vexation
Provocation, vexation: what irritates and causes anger or grief.
- שְּׂחֹקsechok· laughter, derision
Laughter; it may be of joy or of mockery.
- רֹעַroa· ugliness; evil
Bad appearance, ugliness. Elsewhere, wickedness.
- פָּנִיםpanim· face, presence
Face. From there "surface" (the face of something) and "presence" (being before someone's face); with a preposition it means "before" or "in front of".
- יִיטַבyitav· do well, be good
Do well, act well; go well for someone; please. Also set something right, prepare it.