Ecclesiastes 3:2

Translations

Modern

…a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,

Traditional

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

Literal

A time to give birth and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up the planted,

Latin

Tempus nascendi, et tempus moriendi; tempus plantandi, et tempus evellendi quod plantatum est.

Original

Hebrew

English

…a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,

Notes

Ecclesiastes 3:2–8

We cannot control when we are born or when we die (Ecclesiastes 8:8), but we must live wisely between those events.
plant and...uproot: Make wise agricultural decisions during the natural seasons.
In ancient Israel, times to kill included capital punishment and war.
During mourning, people in the Near East often tore their clothes.
There is a time to hate, even for God (Psalms 5:5; 11:5).

Ecclesiastes 3:1–8

To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: Wisdom knows that everything has its own time. Both in human activities and in nature (see Ecclesiastes 1:3–7). A wise person knows when to start any activity (Ecclesiastes 8:5). Opportunities do not last long (Ephesians 5:16; Colossians 4:5).

Related verses

Hebrews 9:27
Just as man is appointed to die once, and after that to face judgment,
Job 14:5
Since his days are determined and the number of his months is with You, and since You have set limits that he cannot exceed,
Matthew 15:13
But Jesus replied, “Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by its roots.
Jeremiah 18:7–10
At any time I might announce that a nation or kingdom will be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed.
Job 7:1
“Is not man consigned to labor on earth? Are not his days like those of a hired hand?
John 16:21
A woman has pain in childbirth because her time has come; but when she brings forth her child, she forgets her anguish because of her joy that a child has been born into the world.
Luke 1:20
And now you will be silent and unable to speak until the day this comes to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”
Galatians 4:4
But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
Isaiah 38:1
In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.’”
Acts 7:20
At that time Moses was born, and he was beautiful in the sight of God. For three months he was nurtured in his father’s house.
Jeremiah 45:4
Thus Jeremiah was to say to Baruch: “This is what the LORD says: Throughout the land I will demolish what I have built and uproot what I have planted.
Acts 7:17
As the time drew near for God to fulfill His promise to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased greatly in number.

Glossary

Book of Ecclesiastes

Topics

Death: Unclassified Scriptures Relating To Euthanasia The Changing of Seasons

Ecclesiastes 3:2

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Original?

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Glossary?

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