Ecclesiastes 3:5

Ecclesiastes 3:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
• New International Version (NIV)a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
• English Standard Version (ESV)a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
• New King James Version (NKJV)A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;

Context of Ecclesiastes 3:5

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. 4There is a time to weep. There is a time to laugh. There is a time to be sad. There is a time to dance. There 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. 7There is a time to tear our clothes. There is a time to mend them. There is a time to say nothing. There is a time to speak.

Ecclesiastes 3:5 word by word

עֵ֚ת לְהַשְׁלִ֣יךְ אֲבָנִ֔ים וְעֵ֖ת כְּנ֣וֹס אֲבָנִ֑ים עֵ֣ת לַחֲב֔וֹק וְעֵ֖ת לִרְחֹ֥ק מֵחַבֵּֽק׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• A timeעֵת‛êth · timeH6256
• to cast awayשָׁלַךְshâlak · to throwH7993
• stonesאֶ֫בֶן'eben · stoneH68
• to gatherכָּנַסkânas · to gatherH3664
• to embraceחָבַקchâbaq · to embraceH2263
• to refrainרָחַקrâchaq · to removeH7368

Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 3:5

• Joshua 4:3Tell them, “Pick up 12 stones from the middle of the river. Take them from the place where the priests are standing. Carry the stones with you to the shore. Put them in the place where you stay tonight.” ’
• Joshua 10:27At sunset, Joshua told his men to take the kings down from the trees. They threw them into the cave where they had been hiding. They put big stones over the front of the cave. The stones are still there today.
• 2 Samuel 18:17They took Absalom's dead body and they threw it into a deep hole in the forest. They made a big heap of stones over the body. All the Israelite soldiers ran back to their homes.
• 2 Kings 3:25They destroyed the Moabites' towns. Each Israelite soldier threw a stone onto all the good fields, until they covered them with stones. They filled the springs so that they gave no water. They cut down all the good trees. Only the city of Kir-Hareseth was still there with its stone walls. But the Israelite soldiers stood all around the city. They attacked it with stones from their slings.
• Exodus 19:15Then Moses said to them, ‘Prepare yourselves for the third day. While you wait, do not have sex with your wives, or anyone.’
• 1 Samuel 21:4The priest answered David, ‘I do not have any ordinary bread that I can give to you. There is only the special holy bread. You can take it for your men to eat only if they have not had sex with women.’
• Joel 2:16Tell the people that they must all come. Make them all ready to serve the Lord. Bring the old people together. Bring the children – even the smallest ones. Every new husband must leave his room. Every wife must leave her secret room.
• 1 Corinthians 7:5Do not refuse to have sex with each other, unless both of you agree to stop for a short time. Then you can use more time to pray. But you should come together again soon, as husband and wife. If not, Satan may try to make you do something wrong. You may want too strongly to have sex with someone else.

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 3:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5A time to cast away stones, - to gather stones, - to embrace, - to refrain - "One while domestic cares abortive prove, And then successful. Nature now invites Connubial pleasures: but, when languid grown, No less rejects."Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5Stones may be regarded either as materials for building, or as impediments to the fertility of land (see 2 Kings 3:19, 2 Kings 3:25; Isaiah 5:2).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. 55. cast away stones--as out of a garden or vineyard (Is 5:2). gather--for building; figuratively, the Gentiles, once castaway stones, were in due time made parts of the spiritual building (Ep 2:19, 20), and children of Abraham (Mt 3:9); so the restored Jews hereafter (Psa 102:13, 14; Zec 9:16). refrain ... embracing--(Joe 2:16; 1Co 7:5, 6).Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• Dance
• Judge
• Embrace
• 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