Ecclesiastes 3:6

Ecclesiastes 3:6 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
• New International Version (NIV)a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
• English Standard Version (ESV)a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
• New King James Version (NKJV)A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away;

Context of Ecclesiastes 3:6

4a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:6 word by word

עֵ֤ת לְבַקֵּשׁ֙ וְעֵ֣ת לְאַבֵּ֔ד עֵ֥ת לִשְׁמ֖וֹר וְעֵ֥ת לְהַשְׁלִֽיךְ׃Read the interlinear

• timeעֵת‛êth · timeH6256
• seekבָּקַשׁbâqash · to seekH1245
• keepשָׁמַרshâmar · to keep: guardH8104
• castשָׁלַךְshâlak · to throwH7993

Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 3:6

• Genesis 30:30For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it hath increased unto a multitude; and Jehovah hath blessed thee whithersoever I turned: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?
• Genesis 31:18and he carried away all his cattle, and all his substance which he had gathered, the cattle of his getting, which he had gathered in Paddan-aram, to go to Isaac his father unto the land of Canaan.
• Exodus 12:35And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they asked of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:
• Deuteronomy 8:17and lest thou say in thy heart, My power and the might of my hand hath gotten me this wealth.
• 2 Kings 5:26And he said unto him, Went not my heart with thee, when the man turned from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards and vineyards, and sheep and oxen, and men-servants and maid-servants?
• 2 Kings 8:9So Hazael went to meet him, and took a present with him, even of every good thing of Damascus, forty camels’ burden, and came and stood before him, and said, Thy son Ben-hadad king of Syria hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recover of this sickness?
• Matthew 16:25For whosoever would save his life shall lose it: and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake shall find it.
• Matthew 19:29And every one that hath left houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit eternal life.
• Mark 8:35For whosoever would save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s shall save it.
• Mark 10:28Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.
• Luke 9:24For whosoever would save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.
• Ecclesiastes 11:1Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days.
• 2 Kings 7:15And they went after them unto the Jordan: and, lo, all the way was full of garments and vessels, which the Syrians had cast away in their haste. And the messengers returned, and told the king.
• Psalms 112:9He hath dispersed, he hath given to the needy; His righteousness endureth for ever: His horn shall be exalted with honor.
• Isaiah 2:20In that day men shall cast away their idols of silver, and their idols of gold, which have been made for them to worship, to the moles and to the bats;
• Jonah 1:5Then the mariners were afraid, and cried every man unto his god; and they cast forth the wares that were in the ship into the sea, to lighten it unto them. But Jonah was gone down into the innermost parts of the ship; and he lay, and was fast asleep.

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 3:6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6A time to get, - to lose, - to keep, - to cast away - - "Commerce produces wealth, Whilst time of gaining lasts; from every point Blow prosperous gales. Now heaven begins to lower, And all our hopes are blasted. Prudence bids, One while, our treasure to reserve, and then With liberal hand to scatter wide. How oft In raging storms, the owner wisely casts Into the deep his precious merchandise, To save the foundering bark!Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6Get … lose - Rather, seek, and a time to give up for lost.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-8We 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).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. time to get--for example, to gain honestly a livelihood (Ep 4:23). lose--When God wills losses to us, then is our time to be content. keep--not to give to the idle beggar (2Th 3:10). cast away--in charity (Pr 11:24); or to part with the dearest object, rather than the soul (Mr 9:43). To be careful is right in its place, but not when it comes between us and Jesus Christ (Lu 10:40-42).Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• Dance
• Judge
• Providence
• 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