Christian Standard Bible
Ecclesiastes 3:4
4a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance;
Ecclesiastes 3:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
- New International Version (NIV)a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
- English Standard Version (ESV)a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
- New King James Version (NKJV)A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
Context of Ecclesiastes 3:4
2a time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot; 3a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build; a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; 5a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing; 6a time to search and a time to count as lost; a time to keep and a time to throw away;
Read all of Ecclesiastes 3Ecclesiastes 3:4 word by word
עֵ֤ת לִבְכּוֹת֙ וְעֵ֣ת לִשְׂח֔וֹק עֵ֥ת סְפ֖וֹד וְעֵ֥ת רְקֽוֹד׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 3:4
- Nehemiah 8:9Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to all of them, “This day is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people were weeping as they heard the words of the law.
- Nehemiah 9:1On the twenty-fourth day of this month the Israelites assembled; they were fasting, wearing sackcloth, and had put dust on their heads.
- Psalms 30:5For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor, a lifetime. Weeping may stay overnight, but there is joy in the morning.
- Psalms 126:1When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.
- Isaiah 22:12On that day the Lord God of Armies called for weeping, for wailing, for shaven heads, and for the wearing of sackcloth.
- Matthew 9:15Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests be sad while the groom is with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.
- Matthew 11:17We played the flute for you, but you didn’t dance; we sang a lament, but you didn’t mourn!
- John 16:20Truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy.
- Romans 12:15Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.
- 2 Corinthians 7:10For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly grief produces death.
- James 4:9Be miserable and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
- Genesis 21:6Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears will laugh with me.”
- Luke 1:13But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.
- Luke 6:21Blessed are you who are hungry now, because you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, because you will laugh.
- Exodus 15:20Then the prophetess Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women came out following her with tambourines and dancing.
- 2 Samuel 6:16As the ark of the Lord was entering the city of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked down from the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord, and she despised him in her heart.
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 3:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4A time to weep, - laugh, - mourn, - dance - - "When private griefs affect The heart, our tears with decent sorrow flow; Nor less becoming, when the public mourns, To vent the deepest sighs. But all around When things a smiling aspect bear, our souls May well exult; 'tis then a time for joy."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. 44. mourn--namely, for the dead (Ge 23:2). dance--as David before the ark (2Sa 6:12-14; Psa 30:11); spiritually (Mt 9:15; Lu 6:21; 15:25). The Pharisees, by requiring sadness out of time, erred seriously.Read the comment
Topics related to Ecclesiastes 3:4
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
Christian Standard Bible — © 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Commentaries