This verse consists of two parts: (a) a “better” saying, and (b) a clause justifying the ideas put forward in (a). The “better” saying may be Qoheleth’s own, as it contains the kinds of values he promotes elsewhere.

It is better to go to the house of mourning: this clause consists of the adjective “good” functioning as a verb phrase equivalent to “it is a good thing…,” followed by an infinitive “to go” together with the destination. The house of mourning has several possible meanings, but as Qoheleth is addressing the reader, who is still very much alive, then the house of mourning refers to the place where mourners have gathered to lament a person’s death. House can refer to the home itself or the family. This can be expressed as “the home where people are in mourning” as in Good News Translation, or “to the bereaved family.” When Qoheleth speaks about “going” to this home, he means that people should “visit” such a place to pay their respects (so New English Bible).

Than to go to the house of feasting describes the opposite scene, a home where there is merriment and celebration; see Good News Translation “where there is a party.” The phrase is identical in meaning to “house of mirth” in verse 4. Feasting is from the root used to describe drinking parties in Isa 5.11-12 and Job 1.5. Qoheleth is not opposed to drinking and celebrating. His many calls to enjoyment testify to that. But in this “better” saying he places more importance on visiting a house where people are mourning than on being where people are celebrating.

Such long comparative constructions may be very difficult to translate in some languages. It may be necessary to restructure the sentences to convey the meaning adequately. For example, it may be necessary to use a conditional phrase and say something like “If you are going to the house of mourning, this is better than going to the house of feasting.”

In the first line Qoheleth does not say why It is better to be present with those who mourn. It is not until the second part of the verse that we discover the reason: in the presence of death people have the chance to reflect and learn something valuable for their own lives. It is part of Qoheleth’s style to set out unexpected and thought-provoking statements first, and follow them up with explanations. If at all possible the translator should try to preserve this important feature of style. In some languages better will have to be rendered as “is more valuable” or even “is more instructive.” However, the translator should keep the style in mind and try to preserve, if possible, the unity and flavor of the passage through the repetition of the keyword “good” or “better.”

The following models are suitable:

• Visiting a family in mourning is better [more instructive] than being at a home where there is a celebration.

• It is better for you to be where people are mourning than with people who are having a party.

Translators can also try to preserve the proverb-like nature of the saying:

• Better to be with those who mourn than with those who celebrate.

For this is the end of all men is introduced by the so-called relative marker to signal an explanation; it justifies the above evaluation. This can be rendered by an expression like “this is because,” or by a simple conjunction like “because” or “for.” This (or more correctly “that” according to the Hebrew) needs to be identified. As it stands, the reader cannot be certain what the demonstrative this is pointing to. Does it refer to the act of “going,” or does it refer to one or both of the “houses”? The context suggests it means “going to the house of mourning.” As the house of mourning symbolizes death, we might translate this as “death” or “to die.”

End describes a person’s ultimate destination, death, and the end of earthly life. Note Good News Translation “death is waiting for us all.” Qoheleth’s advice is to visit a family in mourning so as to remind ourselves that we too will eventually die. If we preserve the literal figure of the “house of mourning,” we can use a verbal idiom to translate this final phrase: “That is where we will all end up!” Though New International Version translates “destiny,” the end or conclusion of life seems to be in focus here.

And the living will lay it to heart: the living is an adjective with a definite article prefixed, describing those who are still alive. Of course it goes without saying that a dead person cannot possibly reflect on the matter Qoheleth is discussing. He argues that any truly wise person, or the person who would be wise, will naturally think about the issue of death, our common end. The living can be defined as “any living person” because other forms of life are not considered here. In some languages the most natural expression may be simply “people.”

Will lay it to heart can describe what people naturally do. However, as only the wise are likely to see the logic of this advice, Qoheleth’s sense is probably more in the nature of a call to reflection. The Hebrew verb here should then be regarded as a command form rather than a narrative form. Though there is no object pronoun “it” in the original, most languages will require one to refer back to the previous clause, or more directly to the notion of death. This gives a translation such as “let them think about it” or “they should think about it.” Good News Translation “the living should always remind themselves…” and Jerusalem Bible “let the living take this to heart” offer models reflecting this understanding.

Lay it to heart is a phrase found often in Qoheleth to describe the process of observation and reflection; see 1.13, 17, “I applied my mind….” Expressions like “reflect on” or “consider it carefully” will be appropriate here.

Some translation possibilities are:

• For all people are heading for death; every living person should reflect on that.

• For every individual will eventually die; this is a fact requiring our deepest reflection.

• This is because everyone’s life ends in death. People should [take the time to] think seriously about this.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Ecclesiates. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .