Ecclesiastes 7:3 — Bible Verse (KJV)

“Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.”

Ecclesiastes 7:3 — King James Version (KJV), 1611

Ecclesiastes 7:3 in 6 Bible Translations

Read Ecclesiastes 7:3 in the King James Version (KJV) and 5 other free, public-domain translations side by side.

Ecclesiastes 7:3 WEB — World English Bible (2000)

“Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the face the heart is made good.”

Ecclesiastes 7:3 — World English Bible

Ecclesiastes 7:3 ASV — American Standard Version (1901)

“Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made glad.”

Ecclesiastes 7:3 — American Standard Version

Ecclesiastes 7:3 YLT — Young's Literal Translation (1862)

“Better <FI>is<Fi> sorrow than laughter, For by the sadness of the face the heart becometh better.”

Ecclesiastes 7:3 — Young's Literal Translation

Ecclesiastes 7:3 DBY — Darby Translation (1890)

“Vexation is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.”

Ecclesiastes 7:3 — Darby Translation

Ecclesiastes 7:3 GEN — Geneva Bible (1599)

“A good name is better then a good oyntment, and the day of death, then the day that one is borne.”

Ecclesiastes 7:3 — Geneva Bible

Ecclesiastes 7:3 in Context — Ecclesiastes 7

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.

Read the full chapter: Ecclesiastes 7 — The Struggle with Sin — O Wretched Man That I Am →

What Does Ecclesiastes 7:3 Mean?

Ecclesiastes 7:3 is a verse from the Book of Ecclesiastes, part of the Old Testament. It appears in Ecclesiastes chapter 7. Use The Living Sword's word-by-word study mode to explore every word in the original Hebrew and Aramaic.

Also explore: Bible verses by topic | Read the full Bible free