--- title: "Ecclesiastes 7 - Study King James Bible with trapps complete commentary" description: "Read Ecclesiastes 7 with trapps complete commentary commentary. 1 A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth. 2 ¶ It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to" image: "/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg" url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary/ecclesiastes/7" --- [ Read](/kjv/ecclesiastes/7)[ Commentary](/study/ecclesiastes/7)[ Interlinear](/interlinear/ecclesiastes/7) Audio 1 A good name *is* better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth. 2 ¶ *It is* 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 lay *it* to his heart. 3 Sorrow *is* better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.* 4 The heart of the wise *is* in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools *is* in the house of mirth. 5 *It is* better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools. 6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so *is* the laughter of the fool: this also *is* vanity.* 7 ¶ Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart. 8 Better *is* the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: *and* the patient in spirit *is* better than the proud in spirit. 9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools. 10 Say not thou, What is *the cause* that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not enquire wisely concerning this.* 11 ¶ Wisdom *is* good with an inheritance: and *by it there is* profit to them that see the sun.* 12 For wisdom *is* a defence, *and* money *is* a defence: but the excellency of knowledge *is, that* wisdom giveth life to them that have it.* 13 Consider the work of God: for who can make *that* straight, which he hath made crooked? 14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him.* 15 All *things* have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just *man* that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked *man* that prolongeth *his life* in his wickedness. 16 Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?* 17 Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?* 18 *It is* good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all. 19 Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty *men* which are in the city. 20 For *there is* not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not. 21 Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee:* 22 For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others. 23 ¶ All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it *was* far from me. 24 That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out? 25 I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason *of things*, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness *and* madness:* 26 And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart *is* snares and nets, *and* her hands *as* bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.* 27 Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, *counting* one by one, to find out the account:* 28 Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found. 29 Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions. [Ecclesiastes 6](/study/ecclesiastes/6) [Ecclesiastes 8](/study/ecclesiastes/8) ## Commentary To verse 1 [Ecc 7:1](/kjv/ecc/7/1) A good name [is] better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth. Ver. 1. **A good name is better than precious ointment.** ] Yea, than great riches. *See Trapp on "*[Pro 22:1](/kjv/-pro/22/1) *"* The initial letter *a* of the Hebrew word for "good" here is larger than ordinary, to show the more than ordinary excellence of a good name and fame among men. *Hebrew Text Note* If whatsoever David doeth doth please the people, if Mary Magdalen’s cost upon Christ be well spoken of in all the churches, if the Romans’ faith be famous throughout the whole world,[Rom 1:8](/kjv/-rom/1/8) if Demetrius have a good report of all good men, and St John set his seal to it, this must needs be better than precious ointments; the one being but a perfume of the nostrils, the other of the heart. Sweet ointment, *olfactum afficit, spiritum reficit, cerebrum iuvat,* affects the smell, refresheth the spirit, comforts the brain: a good name doth all this and more. For, *First,* As a fragrant scent, it affects the soul, amidst the stench of evil courses and companies. It is as a fresh gale of sweet air to him that lives, as Noah did, among such as are no better than walking dunghills, and living sepulchres of themselves, stinking much more worse than Lazarus did, after he had lain four days in the grave. A good name preserveth the soul as a pomander; and refresheth it more than musk or civit doth the body. *Secondly,* It comforts the conscience, and exhilarates the heart; cheers up the mind amidst all discouragements, and fatteth the bones,[Pro 15:30](/kjv/-pro/15/30) doing a man good, like a medicine. And whereas sweet ointments may be corrupted by dead flies, a good name, proceeding from a good conscience, cannot be so. Fly blown it may be for a season, and somewhat obscured; but as the moon wades out of a cloud, so shall the saints’ innocence break forth as the light, and their righteousness as the noonday.[Psa 37:6](/kjv/-psa/37/6) Buried it may be in the open sepulchres of evil throats, but it shall surely rise again: a resurrection there shall be of names, as well as of bodies, at the last day, at utmost. But usually a good name comforts a Christian at his death, and continues after it. For though the name of the wicked shall rot, his lamp shall be put out in obscurity, and leave a vile snuff behind it, yet "the righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance"; they shall leave their names for a blessing.[Isa 65:15](/kjv/-isa/65/15) And the day of death, than the day of one’s birth.] The Greeks call a man’s birthday, γενεθλιον *quasi* γενεσιν αθλων ; the beginning of his nativity, they call the begetting of his misery. "Man that is born of a woman, is born to trouble," saith Job.[Job 14:1](/kjv/-job/14/1) The word there rendered *born* , signifieth also generated or concieved; to note that man is miserable, even as soon as he is "warm in the womb," as David hath it.[Psa 51:5](/kjv/-psa/51/5) If he lives to see the light, he comes crying into the world, a *fletu vitam auspicatur,* saith Seneca. *b* Insomuch as the lawyers define life by crying, and a stillborn child is all one as dead in law. Only Zoroaster is said to have been born laughing, but that laughter was both monstrous and ominous. *c* For he first found out the black art which yet profited him not so far as to the vain felicity of this present life. For being king of the Bactrians, he was overcome and slain in battle by Ninus, king of the Assyrians. Augustine, who relates this story, saith of man’s first entrance into the world, *Nondum loquitur, et tamen prophetat,* ere ever a child speaks, be prophesies, by his tears, of his ensuing sorrows. *Nec prius natus, quam damnatus,* no sooner is he born, but he is condemned to the mines or galleys, as it were, of sin and suffering. Hence Solomon here prefers his coffin before his cradle. And there was some truth in that saying of the heathen, *Optimum est non nasci, proximum quam celerrime mori:* For wicked men it had been best not to have been born, or being born, to die quickly; since by living long they heap up first sin, and then wrath against the day of wrath. As for good men, there is no doubt but the day of death is best to them, because it is the daybreak of eternal righteousness; and after a short brightness, as that martyr said, gives them, *Malorum ademptionem, bonorum adeptionem,* freedom from all evil, fruition of all good. Hence the ancient fathers called those days wherein the martyrs suffered their birthdays, because then they began to live indeed: since here to live is but to lie dying. Eternal life is the only true life, saith Augustine. *a* ט *Maiusculam.* *b* Ad Mare., cap. 11. *c* Justin, lib. i. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com","name":"Real Bible Believers","description":"RBB","publisher":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/search?q={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary/ecclesiastes/7#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg","width":672,"height":448,"caption":"Real Bible Believers"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary/ecclesiastes/7#webpage","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary/ecclesiastes/7","name":"Ecclesiastes 7 - Study King James Bible with trapps complete commentary","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary/ecclesiastes/7#primaryimage"},"author":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"description":"Read Ecclesiastes 7 with trapps complete commentary commentary. 1 A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth. 2 ¶ It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary/ecclesiastes/7#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary/ecclesiastes/7"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary/ecclesiastes/7#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study","name":"Study Bible"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary","name":"trapps complete commentary"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary/ecclesiastes","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary/ecclesiastes","name":"Ecclesiastes"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary/ecclesiastes/7","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/trapps-complete-commentary/ecclesiastes/7","name":"7"}}]},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","width":512,"height":512},"logo":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo"},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/RBiblebeliever","https://www.facebook.com/RBibleBelievers"]}]} ```