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

2There is a time to be born, and there is a time to die. There is a time to plant seeds. There is a time to pull the plants out of the ground. 3There is a time to kill people. There is a time to make people well. There is a time to destroy things. There is a time to build things. There is a time to weep. There is a time to laugh. There is a time to be sad. There is a time to dance. 5There is a time to throw stones away. There is a time to pick them up and use them. There is a time to hug people. There is a time to turn away from people. 6There is a time to look for things that you have lost. There is a time to accept that you have lost them. There is a time to keep things. There is a time to throw things away.

Ecclesiastes 3:4 word by word

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

Words taken from the KJV.

• A timeעֵת‛êth · timeH6256
• to weepבָּכָהbâkâh · to weepH1058
• to laughשָׂחַקώâchaq · to laughH7832
• to mournסָפַדsâphad · to mournH5594
• to danceרָקַדrâqad · to skip aboutH7540

Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 3:4

• Nehemiah 8:9Then Ezra (the priest who studied God's Law), Nehemiah (the ruler) and the Levites who were teaching the people said to all the people, ‘Do not cry or weep. Today is a special holy day for the Lord your God.’ They said this because the people were weeping. The words of the Law had made them sad.
• Nehemiah 9:1On the 24th day of the same month, the Israelite people met together. They did not eat or drink. They wore sackcloth and they put dust on their heads.
• Psalms 30:5His anger continues only for a moment, but he is kind to us for our whole life. You may be sad all through the night, but in the morning, you will be happy again.
• Psalms 126:1When the Lord turned us round, so that we enjoyed a good life in Zion again, we thought that we were dreaming!
• Isaiah 22:12At that time, the Lord Almighty told you to be very sad and weep. He told you to cut all the hair off your heads and to wear rough clothes.
• Matthew 9:15Jesus answered them: ‘When a man marries, his friends cannot be sad. They cannot refuse to eat food while he is with them. But there will be a time when people will take the man away from his friends. At that time his friends will choose to fast.’
• Matthew 11:17“We made happy music on a flute for you, but you did not dance. We sang a sad song but you did not cry.”
• John 16:20I tell you this: You will be sad and you will cry. But the people who belong to this world will be happy. Yes, you will be sad. But soon after that, you will become happy instead.
• Romans 12:15If you are with someone who is happy, you should also be happy. If you are with someone who is sad, you should also be sad.
• 2 Corinthians 7:10People need to become sad in the way that God wants. When they are sad like that, it causes them to turn away from wrong things. Then God saves them from their sins. They will never be sorry about that! But when people become sad in the way that the world wants, it does not help them. They do not turn to God and they die in their spirits.
• James 4:9Be sorry about your sins and weep. Stop laughing and instead be sad. Do not be happy but be very upset.
• Genesis 21:6Sarah said, ‘Now God has made me laugh. Everyone who hears about what has happened will be happy with me.’
• Luke 1:13The angel said to him, ‘Zechariah, do not be afraid. God has heard what you prayed. He will give you what you asked for. Your wife Elizabeth will give birth to a baby boy. You will give him the name “John”.
• Luke 6:21Happy are you people that are hungry now. God will feed you until you are full. Happy are you people that are crying now. Later, you will laugh.
• Exodus 15:20Then Miriam, Aaron's sister, who was a prophet, took a tambourine in her hand. All the other women followed her, with tambourines in their hands. They danced while Miriam sang to them.
• 2 Samuel 6:16While they were bringing the Lord's Covenant Box into the City of David, Saul's daughter Michal looked out through a window. She saw what King David was doing. He was jumping and dancing to worship the Lord. Michal felt ashamed of him.

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