Translation
The heart of the wise
is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of celebration.
Go to footnote numberParaphrase
The mark of wisdom is a deep understanding of the harsh realities of life and the self-discipline to choose difficult situations over what is easy; the mark of foolishness is to constantly seek entertainment and to choose the easy way out every time.
Footnotes
1: “house of celebration”
This word means “gladness, happiness, celebration and pleasure.” I believe Solomon had suffered a great loss, most likely the death of his favorite wife, the one he called the Shulammite, featured in Song of Solomon. After her death he found no use for frivolity. He had been searching for the meaning of life and her death convinced him that the answer to that search would never be found in self-centered merriment.