God’s Word Translation
Ecclesiastes 3:4
4a time to cry and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
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
2a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pull out what was planted, 3a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build up, a time to cry and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to hug and a time to stop hugging, 6a time to start looking and a time to stop looking, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
Read all of Ecclesiastes 3Ecclesiastes 3:4 word by word
עֵ֤ת לִבְכּוֹת֙ וְעֵ֣ת לִשְׂח֔וֹק עֵ֥ת סְפ֖וֹד וְעֵ֥ת רְקֽוֹד׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 3:4
- Nehemiah 8:9Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people told them, “This is a holy day for the Lord your God. Don’t mourn or cry.” All the people were crying as they listened to the reading of God’s Teachings.
- Nehemiah 9:1When the Israelites assembled on the twenty-fourth day of this month, they fasted, wore sackcloth, and threw dirt on their heads.
- Psalms 30:5His anger lasts only a moment. His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may last for the night, but there is a song of joy in the morning.
- Psalms 126:1When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, it was as if we were dreaming.
- Isaiah 22:12On that day the Almighty Lord of Armies will call for crying and for mourning, for shaving your heads and for wearing sackcloth.
- Matthew 9:15Jesus replied, “Can wedding guests be sad while the groom is still with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast.
- Matthew 11:17‘We played music for you, but you didn’t dance. We sang a funeral song, but you didn’t show any sadness.’
- John 16:20I can guarantee this truth: You will cry because you are sad, but the world will be happy. You will feel pain, but your pain will turn to happiness.
- Romans 12:15Be happy with those who are happy. Be sad with those who are sad.
- 2 Corinthians 7:10In fact, to be distressed in a godly way causes people to change the way they think and act and leads them to be saved. No one can regret that. But the distress that the world causes brings only death.
- James 4:9Be miserable, mourn, and cry. Turn your laughter into mourning and your joy into gloom.
- Genesis 21:6Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.
- Luke 1:13The angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife Elizabeth will have a son, and you will name him John.
- Luke 6:21Blessed are those who are hungry. They will be satisfied. Blessed are those who are crying. They will laugh.
- Exodus 15:20Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand. All the women, dancing with tambourines, followed her.
- 2 Samuel 6:16When the ark of the Lord came to the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked out of a window and saw King David leaping and dancing in the Lord’s presence, so she despised 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
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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