“A good name is better
Than precious ointment.
The day of death is better
Than the day of birth.
It is better to go to the house of mourning
Than to go to the house of feasting.
This is the end of everyone.
The living will lay it to heart.
Sorrow is better
Than laughter.
By sadness of countenance,
The heart is made glad.
The heart of the wise
Is in the house of mourning.
But the heart of fools is
In the house of mirth.
It is better for a man
To hear the rebuke of the wise
Than to hear the song of fools.
Like the crackling of thorns under a pot
So is the laughter of fools.
This also is vanity.
Surely oppression makes the wise foolish.
A bribe corrupts the heart.”
Qoheleth presents a reflection on life and death, like the modern philosopher Martin Heidegger (1889-1976). With his phrase Sein zum Tode, from his book Being and Time, Heidegger meant that all human beings were destined to die. It is our purpose in life to die. Therefore we must live our life now in authenticity. Qoheleth starts off by saying how important a good name is, more prized than precious ointment. Also the day of death is more important than the day of your birth. It is better to mourn than to feast. As usual, he points out that everyone will die, so that the living must be aware of that. Sorrow was better than laughter, rather than the other way around. The heart was made glad through a sad face. The truly wise mourn, while the fools live a life of mirth. Listen to the criticisms of the wise rather than the songs of fools. Foolish laughter is like burning thorns crackling on a fire since it is pure vanity and useless. Oppression makes us wiser, but bribes corrupt the heart.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 