Ecclesiastes 7:4

Paleo Hebrew Niqqud

RBT Hebrew Interlinear:

לב לֵב

a heart

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

לב

lêb

Definition

the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything

Root

a form of H3824 (לבב);

Exhaustive

a form of לבב; the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything; [phrase] care for, comfortably, consent, [idiom] considered, courag(-eous), friend(-ly), ((broken-), (hard-), (merry-), (stiff-), (stout-), double) heart(-ed), [idiom] heed, [idiom] I, kindly, midst, mind(-ed), [idiom] regard(-ed), [idiom] themselves, [idiom] unawares, understanding, [idiom] well, willingly, wisdom.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H3820

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

לֵב

noun / masculine • Root לבב • Strongs / High • Page 763

The heart, used both physically and metaphorically. It is considered the seat of bodily life (anima, vita); the seat of mental life including will, desire, intention, intellect (knowing, perceiving, understanding, thinking); the seat of sensuous feelings and affections like joy, sorrow, despair, and trust; and the center of moral and spiritual life.

לֵב

noun • Root לבב • Strongs / High • Page 764

A gentile noun, with the plural form לִבִּים. Derived from לָבַב II.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

לֵב

noun masculine • Page 339

The heart. (1) The seat of intellect, mind, purpose, or intention (1 K. 8:17; Job 12:3). (2) Middle or midst, e.g., of the sea (Ex. 15:8) or heaven (Deut. 4:11). (3) Courage or spirit (Deut. 20:8; Gen. 42:28). (4) Used with suffixes to form a periphrasis of personal pronouns (Ex. 9:14). Includes Chald. form in Dan. 7:28.

Noun common both singular construct

LXX: καρδία καρδίαν καρδίᾳ καρδίασ διανοίᾳ

LXX Usage Statistics

H3820a:

καρδία 163× (25.0%)

καρδίαν 140× (21.9%)

καρδίᾳ 93× (14.7%)

καρδίασ 68× (11.0%)

διανοίᾳ 12× (1.7%)

'' 8× (1.2%)

αὐτῆσ 8× (1.0%)

--- 7× (1.3%)

φρενῶν 7× (1.3%)

καρδίαι 6× (1.0%)

חכמים חֲכָמִים

None

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

חכם

châkâm

Definition

wise, (i.e. intelligent, skilful or artful)

Root

from H2449 (חכם);

Exhaustive

from חכם; wise, (i.e. intelligent, skilful or artful); cunning (man), subtil, (un-), wise((hearted), man).

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H2450

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

חָכָם

noun / masculine • Root חכם • Strongs / High • Page 483

A wise man, philosopher, guide, leader, an epithet of Hercules.

חָכָם

adjective • Root חכם • Strongs / High • Page 484

1. knowing, skillful, experienced (used as a substantive, a master); 2. wise, clear-sighted; 3. sagacious, cautious, experienced in human and divine things.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

חָכָם

verb • Root חכם • Page 227

1. Skilful, dexterous (Is. 3: 3; Ex. 28: 3). 2. Wise, intelligent, prudent (2 Sam. 14: 2; Job 5: 13), learned, virtuous. 3. Plur. the wise men in a royal court, such as statesmen or philosophers (Gen. 41: 8; Ex. 7: 11).

Adjective adjective masculine plural absolute

LXX: σοφὸσ σοφῶν σοφοῦ σοφοὶ σοφοὺσ

LXX Usage Statistics

H2450:

σοφὸσ 30× (21.7%)

σοφῶν 17× (12.0%)

σοφοῦ 9× (6.3%)

σοφοὶ 9× (6.0%)

σοφοὺσ 8× (5.4%)

σοφοί 5× (3.4%)

σοφὸν 5× (3.5%)

σοφοσ 4× (2.5%)

σοφοῖσ 4× (2.6%)

σοφόσ 3× (2.2%)

בבית בְּבֵית

within house

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

ב

bə

Definition

in, by

Root

A primitive particle; a prefix

Exhaustive

(beth) — in / within / by means of

Core value: interiority, enclosure, participation

ב does not primarily mean “in time” (“when”) or even “in space.” It marks being inside a domain, whether that domain is:
- spatial (house, land),
- conceptual (wisdom, covenant),
- modal (strength, fear),
- instrumental (by means of).
Aonically, ב marks immersion.
not “when X happened” but “within the state or field of X.”
This is why ב־יום does not need to mean “on the day (chronological)” but “within the day-realm / condition”.

Source: The Aonic Nature of Biblical Hebrew Prepositions

בית

bayith

Definition

a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.)

Root

probably from H1129 (בנה) abbreviated;

Exhaustive

probably from בנה abbreviated; a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.); court, daughter, door, [phrase] dungeon, family, [phrase] forth of, [idiom] great as would contain, hangings, home(born), (winter) house(-hold), inside(-ward), palace, place, [phrase] prison, [phrase] steward, [phrase] tablet, temple, web, [phrase] within(-out).

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H1004

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

בִּית

verb • Root בית • Consonantal / Medium • Page 230

To pass the night.

Matched via consonantal key only

בַּיִת

noun masculine • Root בות • Consonantal / Medium • Page 237

house in the widest sense, consequently also tent, hut, tower, palace, temple

Matched via consonantal key only

בַּיִת

noun masculine (aramaic) • Consonantal / Medium • Page 239

The same [as Hebrew 'house']; king's house; temple; treasury; banquet-house.

Matched via consonantal key only

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

בַּּיִת

noun • Page 97

A city of Moab, Is. 15:2. Elsewhere written more in full as בֵּית בַּעַל מְעוֹן.

בַּיִת

noun masculine • Root בות • Page 96

1. House, dwelling (Gen. 15:3, Ecc. 2:7). 2. Tent (Gen. 33:17, 2 K. 23:7). 3. Palace, temple (Gen. 12:15, 1 Sam. 5:2, 1 K. 4:6, Is. 14:18). 4. Applied to part of a house or palace, e.g., banqueting-hall (Est. 7:8) or harem (Est. 2:3). 5. Repository, place, or container of any thing, e.g., smelling bottles (Is. 3:20), places for staves (Ex. 26:29), spider's web (Job 8:14), trench (1 K. 18:32), or tomb (Neh. 2:3). 6. The inner part, within (Ex. 28:26, Gen. 6:14). 7. Figuratively: family, kindred, tribe, people (Ex. 12:4, Gen. 7:1, Hos. 8:1). 8. Particularly posterity (Ruth 4:11, 2 Sam. 7:27). 9. Strictly one's father's house (Gen. 24:23, 46:31, Num. 1:2).

Preposition, Noun common both singular construct

LXX: οἶκον οἴκου οἴκῳ οἶκοσ pεἰσ

LXX Usage Statistics

H1004b:

οἶκον 503× (20.8%)

οἴκου 413× (18.3%)

οἴκῳ 323× (12.8%)

οἶκοσ 163× (7.1%)

pεἰσ 92× (4.6%)

οἴκουσ 89× (3.7%)

οἰκίαν 75× (3.1%)

pἐν 70× (3.4%)

--- 57× (2.8%)

'' 54× (2.3%)

אבל אֵבֶל

a mourner

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

אבל

ʼêbel

Definition

lamentation

Root

from H56 (אבל);

Exhaustive

from אבל; lamentation; mourning.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H60

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

אֵבֶל

noun masculine • Strongs_Numbers • Page 54

Mourning; howling.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

אָבֶל

m. verbal • Root אבל • Page 21

mourning, lamentation. Especially for a person deceased. Refs: Est. 4:3; 9:22; Gen. 27:41; Am. 8:10; Jer. 6:26; Gen. 50:10; Mic. 1:8.

Noun common both singular absolute

LXX:

LXX Usage Statistics

H0060:

No stats available

ולב וְלֵב

and the heart

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

ו

wə

Definition

and

Root

From H8505; a prefix

Exhaustive

The conjunctive ו is not merely a fixed coordinator with a stable semantic value (“and/but/or/then”). Its core function is linkage, not meaning. It binds units into a single discourse field—phrases, clauses, or whole scenes—while leaving the logical relation to be inferred from aspect, word order, genre, and context.

So the variability in translation (“and / but / or / even / then”) is not polyvalence in the particle; it is underspecification by design. The language expects the reader/hearer to perceive the relation rather than have it encoded.

Crucially, conjunctive ו does not imply temporal sequence. It implies continuity of attention. Think of it as:
- “this belongs with what precedes,”
- “remain within the same frame,”
“do not reset the discourse.”
This is why Hebrew can chain dozens of clauses with ו without subordination or explicit logic markers. The text advances by accumulation, not by branching syntactic trees. Meaning arises from the interaction:
- Aspect (qatal / yiqtol / participle),
- Position (fronted elements, resumptive nouns),
- Genre (law, narrative, oracle),
- Context (who speaks, to whom).
The ו simply keeps the circuit closed so these cues can operate together. Remove tense assumptions, and the system becomes coherent.

Source: The Aonic Nature of Biblical Hebrew Prepositions

לב

lêb

Definition

the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything

Root

a form of H3824 (לבב);

Exhaustive

a form of לבב; the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything; [phrase] care for, comfortably, consent, [idiom] considered, courag(-eous), friend(-ly), ((broken-), (hard-), (merry-), (stiff-), (stout-), double) heart(-ed), [idiom] heed, [idiom] I, kindly, midst, mind(-ed), [idiom] regard(-ed), [idiom] themselves, [idiom] unawares, understanding, [idiom] well, willingly, wisdom.

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H3820

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

לֵב

noun / masculine • Root לבב • Strongs / High • Page 763

The heart, used both physically and metaphorically. It is considered the seat of bodily life (anima, vita); the seat of mental life including will, desire, intention, intellect (knowing, perceiving, understanding, thinking); the seat of sensuous feelings and affections like joy, sorrow, despair, and trust; and the center of moral and spiritual life.

לֵב

noun • Root לבב • Strongs / High • Page 764

A gentile noun, with the plural form לִבִּים. Derived from לָבַב II.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

לֵב

noun masculine • Page 339

The heart. (1) The seat of intellect, mind, purpose, or intention (1 K. 8:17; Job 12:3). (2) Middle or midst, e.g., of the sea (Ex. 15:8) or heaven (Deut. 4:11). (3) Courage or spirit (Deut. 20:8; Gen. 42:28). (4) Used with suffixes to form a periphrasis of personal pronouns (Ex. 9:14). Includes Chald. form in Dan. 7:28.

Conjunction, Noun common both singular construct

LXX: καρδία καρδίαν καρδίᾳ καρδίασ διανοίᾳ

LXX Usage Statistics

H3820a:

καρδία 163× (25.0%)

καρδίαν 140× (21.9%)

καρδίᾳ 93× (14.7%)

καρδίασ 68× (11.0%)

διανοίᾳ 12× (1.7%)

'' 8× (1.2%)

αὐτῆσ 8× (1.0%)

--- 7× (1.3%)

φρενῶν 7× (1.3%)

καρδίαι 6× (1.0%)

כסילים כְּסִילים

None

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

כסיל

kᵉçîyl

Definition

properly, fat, i.e. (figuratively) stupid or silly

Root

from H3688 (כסל);

Exhaustive

from כסל; properly, fat, i.e. (figuratively) stupid or silly; fool(-ish).

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H3684

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

כְּסִיל

noun masculine • Root כסל • Strongs / High • Page 719

1. An obdurate person, a fool. Fatness and fleshiness symbolize obduracy, dulness, insensibility, and sinfulness. 2. Rich. 3. A firm one, a strong one, a hero, giant; hence the constellation Orion. 4. A proper name of a locality in the south of Judah.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

כְּסִיל

m. verbal • Root כסל • Page 323

1. a fool (Prov. 1:32; 10:1; 15:2). 2. a constellation in the heavens; according to ancient versions, Orion (Job 9:9; 38:31; Am. 5:8). Plur. כְּסִילִים Is. 13:10, meaning probably several constellations similar to Orion.

Adjective adjective masculine plural absolute

LXX: ἀφρόνων ἄφρων ἄφρονοσ ἄφρονι ἀσεβεῖσ

LXX Usage Statistics

H3684:

ἀφρόνων 16× (22.8%)

ἄφρων 16× (21.2%)

ἄφρονοσ 12× (16.9%)

ἄφρονι 7× (10.4%)

ἀσεβεῖσ 3× (3.8%)

ἄφρονα 2× (2.5%)

ἄφρονεσ 2× (2.3%)

בבית בְּבֵית

within house

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

ב

bə

Definition

in, by

Root

A primitive particle; a prefix

Exhaustive

(beth) — in / within / by means of

Core value: interiority, enclosure, participation

ב does not primarily mean “in time” (“when”) or even “in space.” It marks being inside a domain, whether that domain is:
- spatial (house, land),
- conceptual (wisdom, covenant),
- modal (strength, fear),
- instrumental (by means of).
Aonically, ב marks immersion.
not “when X happened” but “within the state or field of X.”
This is why ב־יום does not need to mean “on the day (chronological)” but “within the day-realm / condition”.

Source: The Aonic Nature of Biblical Hebrew Prepositions

בית

bayith

Definition

a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.)

Root

probably from H1129 (בנה) abbreviated;

Exhaustive

probably from בנה abbreviated; a house (in the greatest variation of applications, especially family, etc.); court, daughter, door, [phrase] dungeon, family, [phrase] forth of, [idiom] great as would contain, hangings, home(born), (winter) house(-hold), inside(-ward), palace, place, [phrase] prison, [phrase] steward, [phrase] tablet, temple, web, [phrase] within(-out).

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H1004

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

בִּית

verb • Root בית • Consonantal / Medium • Page 230

To pass the night.

Matched via consonantal key only

בַּיִת

noun masculine • Root בות • Consonantal / Medium • Page 237

house in the widest sense, consequently also tent, hut, tower, palace, temple

Matched via consonantal key only

בַּיִת

noun masculine (aramaic) • Consonantal / Medium • Page 239

The same [as Hebrew 'house']; king's house; temple; treasury; banquet-house.

Matched via consonantal key only

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

בַּּיִת

noun • Page 97

A city of Moab, Is. 15:2. Elsewhere written more in full as בֵּית בַּעַל מְעוֹן.

בַּיִת

noun masculine • Root בות • Page 96

1. House, dwelling (Gen. 15:3, Ecc. 2:7). 2. Tent (Gen. 33:17, 2 K. 23:7). 3. Palace, temple (Gen. 12:15, 1 Sam. 5:2, 1 K. 4:6, Is. 14:18). 4. Applied to part of a house or palace, e.g., banqueting-hall (Est. 7:8) or harem (Est. 2:3). 5. Repository, place, or container of any thing, e.g., smelling bottles (Is. 3:20), places for staves (Ex. 26:29), spider's web (Job 8:14), trench (1 K. 18:32), or tomb (Neh. 2:3). 6. The inner part, within (Ex. 28:26, Gen. 6:14). 7. Figuratively: family, kindred, tribe, people (Ex. 12:4, Gen. 7:1, Hos. 8:1). 8. Particularly posterity (Ruth 4:11, 2 Sam. 7:27). 9. Strictly one's father's house (Gen. 24:23, 46:31, Num. 1:2).

Preposition, Noun common both singular construct

LXX: οἶκον οἴκου οἴκῳ οἶκοσ pεἰσ

LXX Usage Statistics

H1004b:

οἶκον 503× (20.8%)

οἴκου 413× (18.3%)

οἴκῳ 323× (12.8%)

οἶκοσ 163× (7.1%)

pεἰσ 92× (4.6%)

οἴκουσ 89× (3.7%)

οἰκίαν 75× (3.1%)

pἐν 70× (3.4%)

--- 57× (2.8%)

'' 54× (2.3%)

שמחה שִׂמְחָה׃

a glee

STRONGS

Strong's Lexicon

שמחה

simchâh

Definition

blithesomeness or glee, (religious or festival)

Root

from H8056 (שמח);

Exhaustive

from שמח; blithesomeness or glee, (religious or festival); [idiom] exceeding(-ly), gladness, joy(-fulness), mirth, pleasure, rejoice(-ing).

Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance — H8057

Fürst

Fürst Lexicon

שִׂמְחָה

noun feminine • Strongs / High • Page 1446

1. joy, gladness. Also shouts of rejoicing, songs, or praise aloud with joy. 2. festivity, festive banquet. 3. the name of a musical instrument.

Gesenius

Gesenius Lexicon

שִׂמְחָה

f. verbal • Root שמח • Page 641

1. joy, rejoicing. 1 K. 1: 40. 2. festivity, mirth. Prov. 21: 17. 3. a loud shout, a joyful acclamation. Neh. 12: 43. Gen. 31: 27.

Noun common feminine singular absolute

LXX: εὐφροσύνη εὐφροσύνησ εὐφροσύνῃ εὐφροσύνην μετ'

LXX Usage Statistics

H8057:

εὐφροσύνη 20× (21.3%)

εὐφροσύνησ 16× (16.6%)

εὐφροσύνῃ 15× (14.4%)

εὐφροσύνην 12× (12.9%)

μετ' 3× (3.5%)

χαρὰ 2× (2.3%)

χαρὰν 2× (2.1%)

ἀγαλλίαμα 2× (2.0%)

RBT Translation:

No verse found

RBT Paraphrase:
No verse found

Julia Smith Literal 1876 Translation:
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; and the heart of the foolish in the house of gladness.

LITV Translation:
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of the stupid one is in the house of mirth.

Brenton Septuagint Translation:
The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.