Ecclesiastes 7:7 (DRB)

Passage

For as the crackling of thorns burning under a pot, so is the laughter of a fool: now this also is vanity.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 7:5 The heart of the wise is where there is mourning, and the heart of fools where there is mirth.

Ecclesiastes 7:6 It is better to be rebuked by a wise man, than to be deceived by the flattery of fools.

Ecclesiastes 7:7 For as the crackling of thorns burning under a pot, so is the laughter of a fool: now this also is vanity.

Ecclesiastes 7:8 Oppression troubleth the wise, and shall destroy the strength of his heart.

Ecclesiastes 7:9 Better is the end of a speech than the beginning. Better is the patient man than the presumptuous.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "crackling", "thorns", "burning", "under", "laughter", "fool", and "vanity". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "crackling" and "thorns", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "It is better to be rebuked by..." into verse 8's "Oppression troubleth the wise and shall destroy...", so "crackling" and "thorns" belong inside that flow. In Ecclesiastes context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

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