Keraia
Ecclesiastes 3

Ecclesiastes 3:4

To Everything There Is a Season · Ecclesiastes 3:1–8
Read Ecclesiastes 3

Translations

Modern
…a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
Traditional
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
Literal
…a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
Latin
Tempus flendi, et tempus ridendi; tempus plangendi, et tempus saltandi.

Original

Hebrew
English
…a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

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).

Glossary

Book of Ecclesiastes Laughter

Topics

Celebration Dance Dancing: General Scriptures Concerning Emotions Fun Humor and Laughter Laughing Laughter: A Time For Loss of a Loved One Time to Laugh