Question 1

What does “a good name is better than precious ointment” mean?

Accepted Answer

A “good name” means a clean, honest, godly reputation. Precious ointment was costly perfume or oil that made a person smell pleasant and looked like success. This verse says a good life and a trusted character are worth far more than rich gifts, nice things, or high status. Riches and beauty pass away, but a good name follows you even after death. So the passage pushes us to care more about how we live before God and others than about how impressive we seem on the outside.

Question 2

Why does the passage say the day of death is better than the day of birth?

Accepted Answer

This sounds strange at first, but it is looking at life in a serious way. The day of birth begins a life that will face sin, struggle, and sorrow. The day of death, for the person who fears God, is the end of hardship and the start of rest with God. Death also makes people think about what life is really for. So the verse is not loving death itself, but pointing out that thinking about our end can be better for us than simple joy at a new beginning.

Question 3

Why is it better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of feasting?

Accepted Answer

A house of mourning is where people grieve a death. A house of feasting is where people enjoy a party. The passage says the first is better because there we face the fact that life is short and death comes to everyone. That sober truth can wake us up to think about God, judgment, and how we live. Feasts are not wrong, but they can distract us. Mourning can teach us to number our days and seek wisdom, instead of drifting along in constant fun.

Question 4

What does it mean that sorrow is better than laughter?

Accepted Answer

Here “sorrow” points to serious grief and even sorrow for sin, while “laughter” points to shallow fun that avoids hard truths. Sorrow can work deep in the heart. It can make us think about God, about right and wrong, and about how we need mercy. Empty laughter comes and goes like sparks from burning thorns, noisy but soon gone and leaving nothing. This does not forbid joy, but shows that honest sorrow often does more good in a person than endless joking and entertainment.

Question 5

How should we understand “be not righteous over much” and “be not over much wicked”?

Accepted Answer

These lines have been read in more than one way, but the sense here is not to be proud of your own goodness or careless about sin. “Righteous over much” points to trusting in your own wisdom and justice, making yourself the standard and looking down on others. “Over much wicked” points to running on in open sin, ignoring warnings. Both ways lead to harm. The safe path is to fear God, listen to his warnings, and avoid both self-righteous pride and stubborn rebellion.

Question 6

What does this passage teach about anger and nostalgia for the past?

Accepted Answer

The passage warns against a quick, hot temper and against grumbling that past days were better. Quick anger lodges in fools, because they react instead of thinking and praying. It damages others and harms their own soul. Longing for “the good old days” can be another way of complaining against God, acting as if he has stopped caring or lost control. Instead, we are told to be patient, to rule our spirit, and to trust that God is at work in every season, both past and present.

Question 7

How does this passage describe wisdom, money, and God’s control over life?

Accepted Answer

Wisdom and money are both called a “defence,” because each can protect a person in some way. Money can meet needs, but wisdom goes further, guiding choices and giving life to those who have it. The passage also says that God makes some things straight and some crooked, and no one can change what he sets. He gives days of prosperity and days of adversity side by side. This means we should receive joy with thanks, think carefully in trouble, and remember that God rules both kinds of days.

Question 8

What does it mean that God has made man upright, but they have sought out many inventions?

Accepted Answer

The closing verse says God made people upright, which means straight, honest, and fit to walk in his ways. The problem is not with how God created humanity, but with what people have done since. “Many inventions” means many schemes and sinful paths. Instead of staying with God’s way, people have turned aside to their own plans, tricks, and idols. This simple line explains why the world is full of sin and pain: not because God failed, but because people chose crooked ways instead of the upright way.

Question 9

How can I apply the teaching about mourning, rebuke, and speech to my life today?

Accepted Answer

This passage invites you to slow down and take hard things seriously. Spend time with those who grieve and let funerals or losses remind you that life is short and you need wisdom. Welcome honest correction from wise people, even when it stings, because it can spare you from greater harm. Guard your tongue and ears: do not chase every word people say about you, and remember you have spoken wrongly too. In all of this, humble yourself, fear God, and let sorrow and rebuke shape a wiser heart.

Ecclesiastes 7:1

A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.

The Value of Wisdom

The Limits of Human Wisdom

The Value of Wisdom

Cross References

Ecclesiastes 7:1

A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.

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