Ecclesiastes 7:3 (GNV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 7:1 Surely there be many things that increase vanitie: and what auaileth it man?

Ecclesiastes 7:2 For who knoweth what is good for man in the life and in the nomber of the dayes of the life of his vanitie, seeing he maketh them as a shadowe? For who can shewe vnto man what shall be after him vnder the sunne?

Ecclesiastes 7:3 A good name is better then a good oyntment, and the day of death, then the day that one is borne.

Ecclesiastes 7:4 It is better to goe to the house of mourning, then to goe to the house of feasting, because this is the ende of all men: and the liuing shall lay it to his heart.

Ecclesiastes 7:5 Anger is better then laughter: for by a sad looke the heart is made better.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "good", "name", "better", "oyntment", "death", and "borne". 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 nearby context moves from verse 2's "For who knoweth what is good for..." into verse 4's "It is better to goe to the...", so "good" and "name" 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 "good" and "name" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.