American Standard Version
Ecclesiastes 3:15
15That which is hath been long ago; and that which is to be hath long ago been: and God seeketh again that which is passed away.
Ecclesiastes 3:15 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.
- New International Version (NIV)Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.
- English Standard Version (ESV)That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.
- New King James Version (NKJV)That which is has already been, And what is to be has already been; And God requires an account of what is past.
Context of Ecclesiastes 3:15
13And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy good in all his labor, is the gift of God. 14I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it; and God hath done it, that men should fear before him. That which is hath been long ago; and that which is to be hath long ago been: and God seeketh again that which is passed away. 16And moreover I saw under the sun, in the place of justice, that wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, that wickedness was there. 17I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.
Read all of Ecclesiastes 3Ecclesiastes 3:15 word by word
מַה־שֶּֽׁהָיָה֙ כְּבָ֣ר ה֔וּא וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר לִהְי֖וֹת כְּבָ֣ר הָיָ֑ה וְהָאֱלֹהִ֖ים יְבַקֵּ֥שׁ אֶת־נִרְדָּֽף׃Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 3:15
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 3:15
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15That which hath been is now - God governs the world now, as he has governed it from the beginning; and the revolutions and operations of nature are the same now, that they have been from the beginning. What we see now, is the same as has been seen by those before us. And God requireth that which is past - i.e., That it may return again in its proper order. The heavens themselves, taking in their great revolutions, show the same phenomena. Even comets are…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15Rather, What has been - what was before, and what shall be has been before. The word “is” in our the King James Version is erroneously printed in Roman letters: it does not exist in the Hebrew (it should have been italicized); and the word there translated “now” is the same which is translated as “already.” Requireth - i. e., requireth for judgment, as the word specially means in 2 Samuel 4:11; Ezekiel 3:18 It is obvious from the context of the last…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 11-15Verses 11-15 Every thing is as God made it; not as it appears to us. We have the world so much in our hearts, are so taken up with thoughts and cares of worldly things, that we have neither time nor spirit to see God's hand in them. The world has not only gained possession of the heart, but has formed thoughts against the beauty of God's works. We mistake if we think we were born for ourselves; no, it is our business to do good in this life, which is…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15what will be has already been: The same events repeat throughout history (Ecclesiastes 1:9–10) which is part of God's plan.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1515. Resumption of Ec 1:9. Whatever changes there be, the succession of events is ordered by God's "everlasting" laws (Ec 3:14), and returns in a fixed cycle. requireth that ... past--After many changes, God's law requires the return of the same cycle of events, as in the past, literally, "that which is driven on." The Septuagint and Syriac translate: "God requireth (that is, avengeth) the persecuted man"; a transition to Ec 3:16, 17. The parallel clauses…Read the comment
Topics related to Ecclesiastes 3:15
In the dictionaries
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
American Standard Version — 1901 — Public Domain
Commentaries