Ecclesiastes 7:1 (ASV)

Passage

A [good] name is better than precious oil; and the day of death, than the day of one`s birth.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 7:1 A [good] name is better than precious oil; and the day of death, than the day of one`s birth.

Ecclesiastes 7:2 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.

Ecclesiastes 7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made glad.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "good", "name", "better", "than", "precious", "death", and "birth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "good" and "name", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "It is better to go to the...", so "good" and "name" should be read forward into that movement. In Ecclesiastes context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "good" and "name" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.