Ecclesiastes 3:7

Ecclesiastes 3:7 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
• New International Version (NIV)a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
• English Standard Version (ESV)a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
• New King James Version (NKJV)A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;

Context of Ecclesiastes 3:7

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. There 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. 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?

Ecclesiastes 3:7 word by word

עֵ֤ת לִקְר֙וֹעַ֙ וְעֵ֣ת לִתְפּ֔וֹר עֵ֥ת לַחֲשׁ֖וֹת וְעֵ֥ת לְדַבֵּֽר׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• A timeעֵת‛êth · timeH6256
• to rendקָרַעqâra‛ · to tearH7167
• to sewתָּפַרtâphar · to sewH8609
• to keep silenceחָשָׁהchâshâh · be silentH2814
• to speakדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696

Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 3:7

• Genesis 37:29Later, Reuben returned to the dry well. He saw that Joseph was not there. He tore his clothes because he was very upset.
• 2 Samuel 1:11Then David tore his clothes because he was very upset. The men who were with him did the same thing.
• 2 Samuel 3:31David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, ‘Tear your clothes! Wear sackcloth to show that you are sad! Weep because of Abner's death.’ King David himself walked behind the men who carried Abner's dead body.
• 1 Kings 21:27When Ahab heard Elijah's message, he tore his clothes into pieces. He dressed himself in sackcloth and he did not eat any food. He even wore sackcloth when he slept on his bed. He walked slowly with a sad face.
• 2 Kings 5:7When the king of Israel read the letter, he was very upset. He tore his clothes. He said, ‘I am not God, am I? I cannot kill people or make them alive again. Why does he think that I can make this man well again? I see that he is trying to start a fight with me.’
• 2 Kings 6:30When the king heard the woman's words, he was very upset. He tore his clothes. As he walked along the wall, people could see what he was wearing. They saw that he was wearing sackcloth under his other clothes.
• Jeremiah 36:24As the king and his officers heard Jehudi read each section of the scroll, it did not make them afraid. None of them tore their clothes because they were upset.
• Joel 2:13Stop pulling your clothes to pieces. That does not help. Show me instead that you are really sorry.’ Return to the Lord, your God. He is kind and full of grace. He does not quickly become angry, and he is full of love. He is sad that he had to cause troubles for you.
• Acts 9:39Peter then returned to Joppa with the two men. When he arrived at Dorcas's house, some women took him upstairs. Many widows were there and they were crying. They all stood there, near to Peter. They showed him the shirts and coats that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.
• Job 2:13For a whole week, they sat on the ground near Job. They knew that his pain was very bad. So all that time, they did not say anything to him.
• Psalms 39:2So I did not speak a word, even about good things. That made me very upset.
• Isaiah 36:21When the people who were sitting on the wall heard this, they were quiet. They did not reply, because King Hezekiah had said, ‘Do not answer him.’
• Jeremiah 8:14The people say: ‘We should not sit here and do nothing. We must all go together into our strong cities. If we have to die, we will die there! The Lord our God has said that we must die. We have done bad things against him. He has decided to punish us with death. He has given us water to drink that has poison in it.
• Lamentations 3:28Also, when the Lord causes them to be in trouble, they should sit alone quietly.
• Amos 5:13This is such an evil time that clever people say nothing. That is how they keep themselves safe.’
• Amos 8:3On the day that I come to punish them, people will not sing in the temple. Instead they will weep loudly. There will be dead bodies everywhere. Be quiet now!’ That is what the Lord God says.

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 3:7

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7A time to rend, - sew, - keep silence, - speak - - "Intestine broils And factions rend a state: at length the breach Is heal'd, and rest ensues. Wisdom restrains The tongue, when words are vain: but now, 'Tis time to speak, and silence would be criminal."Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7Rend - i. e., Tear garments in sign of mourning or anger. See 2 Samuel 1:2, 2 Samuel 1:11 ff.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. 77. rend--garments, in mourning (Joe 2:13); figuratively, nations, as Israel from Judah, already foretold, in Solomon's time (1Ki 11:30, 31), to be "sewed" together hereafter (Eze 37:15, 22). silence--(Am 5:13), in a national calamity, or that of a friend (Job 2:13); also not to murmur under God's visitation (Le 10:3; Psa 39:1, 2, 9).Read the comment

Topics related to Ecclesiastes 3:7

• Speaking
• Tongue

In the dictionaries

• Dance
• Judge
• Providence
• Silence
• 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