Sadness of the countenance. — Genesis 40:7; Nehemiah 3:3. “Anger” (margin). This is the usual meaning of the word, and so in Ecclesiastes 7:9. It is accordingly adopted here by the older translators, but the rendering of our version is required by the context.
Related Commentaries of Ecclesiastes 7:3
Ecclesiastes 7:3
3 Sorrowa is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.