Ecclesiastes 3:4

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 be born, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to break down, and a time to build up; A 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; 6A time to seek, and a time to lose; A time to keep, and a time to cast away;

Ecclesiastes 3:4 word by word

עֵ֤ת לִבְכּוֹת֙ וְעֵ֣ת לִשְׂח֔וֹק עֵ֥ת סְפ֖וֹד וְעֵ֥ת רְקֽוֹד׃Read the interlinear

• timeעֵת‛êth · timeH6256
• weepבָּכָהbâkâh · to weepH1058
• laughשָׂחַקώâchaq · to laughH7832
• mournסָפַדsâphad · to mournH5594

Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 3:4

• Nehemiah 8:9And Nehemiah, that is, the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that explained to the people, said to all the people, This day is holy to Jehovah your God: mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept when they heard the words of the law.
• Nehemiah 9:1And on the twenty-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them.
• Psalms 30:5For a moment [is passed] in his anger, a life in his favour; at even weeping cometh for the night, and at morn there is rejoicing.
• Psalms 126:1When Jehovah turned the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.
• Isaiah 22:12And in that day did the Lord Jehovah of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth;
• Matthew 9:15And Jesus said to them, Can the sons of the bridechamber mourn so long as the bridegroom is with them? But days will come when the bridegroom will have been taken away from them, and then they will fast.
• Matthew 11:17say, We have piped to you, and ye have not danced: we have mourned to you, and ye have not wailed.
• John 16:20Verily, verily, I say to you, that ye shall weep and lament, ye, but the world shall rejoice; and ye will be grieved, but your grief shall be turned to joy.
• Romans 12:15Rejoice with those that rejoice, weep with those that weep.
• 2 Corinthians 7:10For grief according to God works repentance to salvation, never to be regretted; but the grief of the world works death.
• James 4:9Be wretched, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and [your] joy to heaviness.
• Genesis 21:6And Sarah said, God has made me laugh: all that hear will laugh with me.
• Luke 1:13But the angel said to him, Fear not, Zacharias, because thy supplication has been heard, and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
• Luke 6:21Blessed ye that hunger now, for ye shall be filled. Blessed ye that weep now, for ye shall laugh.
• Exodus 15:20And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the tambour in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambours and with dances.
• 2 Samuel 6:16And as the ark of Jehovah came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before Jehovah; 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

• Dancing
• Laughter

In the dictionaries

• Dance
• Judge
• Games
• Laughter
• 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