Ecclesiastes 3:19

Ecclesiastes 3:19 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
• New International Version (NIV)Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity.

Context of Ecclesiastes 3:19

17I said to myself, “God will judge both the righteous and the wicked,” for there is a time [appointed] for every matter and for every deed. 18I said to myself regarding the sons of men, “God is surely testing them in order for them to see that [by themselves, without God] they are [only] animals.” For the [earthly] fate of the sons of men and the fate of animals is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no preeminence or advantage for man [in and of himself] over an animal, for all is vanity. 20All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust. 21Who knows if the spirit of man ascends upward and the spirit of the animal descends downward to the earth?

Ecclesiastes 3:19 word by word

כִּי֩ מִקְרֶ֨ה בְֽנֵי־הָאָדָ֜ם וּמִקְרֶ֣ה הַבְּהֵמָ֗ה וּמִקְרֶ֤ה אֶחָד֙ לָהֶ֔ם כְּמ֥וֹת זֶה֙ כֵּ֣ן מ֣וֹת זֶ֔ה וְר֥וּחַ אֶחָ֖ד לַכֹּ֑ל וּמוֹתַ֨ר הָאָדָ֤ם מִן־הַבְּהֵמָה֙ אָ֔יִן כִּ֥י הַכֹּ֖ל הָֽבֶל׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• For that which befallethמִקְרֶהmiqreh · accidentH4745
• the sonsבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• of menאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
• beastsבְּהֵמָהbehêmâh · animalH929
• even one thingאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
• them: as the one diethמָ֫וֶתmâveth · deathH4194
• the otherזֶהzeh · thisH2088
• breathרוּחַrûach · spirit: breathH7307
• hath no preeminenceמוֹתָרmôthâr · advantageH4195
• vanityהֶ֫בֶלhebel hăbêl · vanityH1892

Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 3:19

• Ecclesiastes 2:16For there is no [more] lasting remembrance of the wise man than of the fool, since in the days to come all will be long forgotten. And how does the wise man die? Even as the fool!
• Psalms 49:12But man, with all his [self] honor and pomp, will not endure; He is like the beasts that perish.
• Psalms 92:6A senseless man [in his crude and uncultivated state] knows nothing, Nor does a [self-righteous] fool understand this:
• 2 Samuel 14:14For we will certainly die and are like water that is spilled on the ground and cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not [simply] take away life, but devises plans so that the one who is banished is not driven away from Him.
• Job 14:10But [the brave, strong] man must die and lie face down; Man breathes his last, and where is he?
• Psalms 104:29You hide Your face, they are dismayed; You take away their breath, they die And return to their dust.
• Ecclesiastes 2:20So I turned aside and let my heart despair over all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun.
• Psalms 39:5Behold, You have made my days as [short as] hand widths, And my lifetime is as nothing in Your sight. Surely every man at his best is a mere breath [a wisp of smoke, a vapor that vanishes]! Selah.
• Psalms 89:47Remember how fleeting my lifetime is; For what vanity, [for what emptiness, for what futility, for what wisp of smoke] You have created all the sons of men!

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 3:19

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 19For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts - From the present comparison of great men to beasts, the author takes occasion to enforce the subject by mentioning the state of mankind in general, with respect to the mortality of their bodies; and then, by an easy transition, touches in the next verse on the point which is of such infinite consequence to religion. As the one dieth, so dieth the other - Animal life is the same both in the man…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16-22Verses 16-22 That great anomaly in the moral government of this world, the seemingly unequal distribution of rewards and punishments, will be rectified by God, who has future times and events under His control Ecclesiastes 3:16-17. As for people, they are placed by God, who is their teacher, in a humble condition, even on a level with inferior animals, by death, that great instance of their subjection to vanity Ecclesiastes 3:18-19, which reduces to its…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-22Verses 16-22 Without the fear of the Lord, man is but vanity; set that aside, and judges will not use their power well. And there is another Judge that stands before the door. With God there is a time for the redressing of grievances, though as yet we see it not. Solomon seems to express his wish that men might perceive, that by choosing this world as their portion, they brought themselves to a level with the beasts, without being free, as they are, from…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19When it comes to breathing and dying, people are like animals, but we have other advantages (for example, see Genesis 1:26–28).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1919. Literally, "For the sons of men (Adam) are a mere chance, as also the beast is a mere chance." These words can only be the sentiments of the skeptical oppressors. God's delay in judgment gives scope for the "manifestation" of their infidelity (Ec 8:11; Psa 55:19; 2Pe 3:3,4). They are "brute beasts," morally (Ec 3:18; Jude 10); and they end by maintaining that man, physically, has no pre-eminence over the beast, both alike being "fortuities." Probably…Read the comment

Topics related to Ecclesiastes 3:19

• Animals
• Death

In the dictionaries

• Dance
• Judge
• Chance
• Preeminence
• Psalms, Book of
• Synagogue, the Great

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings