Ecclesiastes 3:11

Ecclesiastes 3:11 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
• New International Version (NIV)He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
• English Standard Version (ESV)He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
• New King James Version (NKJV)He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

Context of Ecclesiastes 3:11

9People work very hard, but what do they receive in return? 10I have seen the difficult work that God has given people to do. He has caused them to be very busy. God 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. 13People should be happy to eat and to drink. They should enjoy the work that they do. All these things are gifts from God.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 word by word

אֶת־הַכֹּ֥ל עָשָׂ֖ה יָפֶ֣ה בְעִתּ֑וֹ גַּ֤ם אֶת־הָעֹלָם֙ נָתַ֣ן בְּלִבָּ֔ם מִבְּלִ֞י אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹא־יִמְצָ֣א הָאָדָ֗ם אֶת־הַֽמַּעֲשֶׂ֛ה אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֥ה הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים מֵרֹ֥אשׁ וְעַד־סֽוֹף׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• He hath madeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
• beautifulיָפֶהyâpheh · beautifulH3303
• in his timeעֵת‛êth · timeH6256
• also he hath setנָתַןnâthan · to give: putH5414
• the worldעוֹלָם‛ôlâm ‛ôlâm · forever: enduringH5769
• in their heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
• so thatבְּלִיbelîy · withoutH1097
• no manאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
• can find outמָצָאmâtsâ' · to findH4672
• the workמַעֲשֶׂהma‛ăώeh · deed: workH4639
• that Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• makethעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• from the beginningרֹאשׁrô'sh · head: firstH7218
• to the endסוֹףsôph · endH5490

Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 3:11

• Ecclesiastes 7:29I did learn this: God made people to do what is right. But people have chosen their own way to do things.
• Genesis 1:31God looked at everything that he had made. He saw that it was very good. Evening passed. And then it was morning. That was the sixth day.
• Deuteronomy 32:4He is the strong Rock where we can be safe. Everything that he does is perfect. He only does what is right and fair. We can trust him to be faithful.
• Mark 7:37The people were very surprised about everything that Jesus did. They said, ‘Jesus has done everything well. If people cannot hear, Jesus makes them able to hear. If people cannot speak, Jesus makes them able to speak.’
• Matthew 13:22Some seeds fell among thorn bushes. This is like people who hear the message from God. But they have many troubles in their minds. They want to get more money and more things. They think that this will make them happy. So they do not let God's message change them. They are like plants that do not grow well and make new seeds.
• Romans 1:19They should understand what God is like, because God himself has shown it to them clearly.
• Job 11:7You cannot discover everything about God. You cannot know how powerful he is.
• Job 37:23Almighty God is so great that we cannot come near to him. He is very powerful. But he always does what is right and fair. He is not cruel to people.
• Psalms 104:24Lord, you have made very many different things! You were very wise in the way that you have made them all. The earth is full of the living things that you have made.
• Matthew 11:27My Father has given me authority over all things. Only the Father really knows me, his Son. Only I really know my Father, because I am his Son. I also choose to tell some people about him. Then they also know him.
• Romans 11:33Yes! God is very great! He has everything! He knows and he understands all things! Nobody can completely understand the things that he decides. Nobody can explain the ways in which he works.

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 3:11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11Beautiful in his time - God's works are well done; there are order, harmony, and beauty in them all. Even the caterpillar is a finished beauty in all the changes through which it passes, when its structure is properly examined, and the ends kept in view in which each change is to issue. Nothing of this kind can be said of the works of man. The most finished works of art are bungling jobs, when compared with the meanest operation of nature. He hath set the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11Rather, He hath made all (the travail, Ecclesiastes 3:10) beautiful (fit, in harmony with the whole work of God) in its time; also He hath set eternity in their heart (i. e., the heart of the sons of men, Ecclesiastes 3:10). The word, translated “world” in the text, and “eternity” in this note, is used seven times in Ecclesiastes. The interpretation “eternity,” is conceived in the sense of a long indefinite period of time, in accordance with the use of…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. 11He has made everything beautiful in its time: We can sometimes see this beauty in our work and the world. However, many people cannot see it. God keeps the understanding of how everything fits together for himself (see Romans 8:22–28). God has planted eternity, an awareness of the infinite, within each of us. This is enough for us to be in awe of him who is infinite and eternal, and enough to hope for eternal life after death.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1111. his time--that is, in its proper season (Psa 1:3), opposed to worldlings putting earthly pursuits out of their proper time and place (see on Ec 3:9). set the world in their heart--given them capacities to understand the world of nature as reflecting God's wisdom in its beautiful order and times (Ro 1:19, 20). "Everything" answers to "world," in the parallelism. so that--that is, but in such a manner that man only sees a portion, not the whole "from…Read the comment

Topics related to Ecclesiastes 3:11

• God
• God Continued...
• Ignorance
• Power

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Dance
• Judge
• Beauty
• End
• Head
• Person, Personality
• 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