Ecclesiastes 3:10

Ecclesiastes 3:10 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.
• New International Version (NIV)I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.
• English Standard Version (ESV)I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.
• New King James Version (NKJV)I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied.

Context of Ecclesiastes 3:10

8There is a time to love. There is a time to hate. There is a time for war. There is a time for peace. 9People work very hard, but what do they receive in return? I have seen the difficult work that God has given people to do. He has caused them to be very busy. 11God has chosen a good time for all things to happen. He has caused people to think about things that will continue for ever. But nobody can completely understand everything that God has done, from the beginning of their lives to the end. 12So I realized that people should be happy. They should enjoy good things as long as they live. There is nothing better for people to do than that.

Ecclesiastes 3:10 word by word

רָאִ֣יתִי אֶת־הָֽעִנְיָ֗ן אֲשֶׁ֨ר נָתַ֧ן אֱלֹהִ֛ים לִבְנֵ֥י הָאָדָ֖ם לַעֲנ֥וֹת בּֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• I have seenרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• the travailעִנְיָן‛inyân · taskH6045
• which Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• hath givenנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• to the sonsבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• of menאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
• to be exercisedעָנָה‛ânâh · be occupiedH6031

Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 3:10

• Ecclesiastes 1:3People work very hard while they live on the earth. But in the end, what do they receive in return for their work?
• Ecclesiastes 2:11Then I thought about everything that I had done, and all my hard work. After all that, I realized that none of these things had a purpose. I was like somebody who tries to catch the wind. None of the things on earth have any value.
• Ecclesiastes 5:16This is also a terrible thing to happen. People leave this earth with nothing, as they came into it with nothing. All their hard work has been useless, like someone who tries to catch the wind.
• Proverbs 14:23If you work hard, something good will come. But if you only talk about it, you will become poor.
• Matthew 16:26A person may get everything in the whole world for himself. But if he loses his life, it will not be any good for him. There is nothing that a person can give to get back his life.

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 3:10

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 10I have seen the travail - Man is a sinner; and, because he is such, he suffers.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 10the burden that God has laid upon the sons of men: God made our work harder after humans rebelled against Him (Genesis 3:17–19). This burden is not too heavy for us to enjoy our work and its rewards (Ecclesiastes 3:11213).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1010. (See on Ec 1:13).Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Dance
• Judge
• Exercise
• 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