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

5A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6A time to search, and a time to give something up as lost; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; A time to rip, and a time to sew; a time to keep silent, and a time to speak. 8A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. 9What benefit can a worker gain from his toil?

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 cistern to find that Joseph was not in it! He tore his clothes,
• 2 Samuel 1:11David then grabbed his own clothes and tore them, as did all the men who were with him.
• 2 Samuel 3:31David instructed Joab and all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes! Put on sackcloth! Lament before Abner!” Now King David followed behind the funeral bier.
• 1 Kings 21:27When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He slept in sackcloth and walked around dejected.
• 2 Kings 5:7When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill or restore life? Why does he ask me to cure a man of his skin disease? Certainly you must see that he is looking for an excuse to fight me!”
• 2 Kings 6:30When the king heard what the woman said, he tore his clothes. As he was passing by on the wall, the people could see he was wearing sackcloth under his clothes.
• Jeremiah 36:24Neither he nor any of his attendants showed any alarm when they heard all that had been read. Nor did they tear their clothes to show any grief or sorrow.
• Joel 2:13Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and boundless in loyal love – often relenting from calamitous punishment.
• Acts 9:39So Peter got up and went with them, and when he arrived they brought him to the upper room. All the widows stood beside him, crying and showing him the tunics and other clothing Dorcas used to make while she was with them.
• Job 2:13Then they sat down with him on the ground for seven days and seven nights, yet no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.
• Psalms 39:2I was stone silent; I held back the urge to speak. My frustration grew;
• Isaiah 36:21They were silent and did not respond, for the king had ordered, “Don’t respond to him.”
• Jeremiah 8:14The people say, “Why are we just sitting here? Let us gather together inside the fortified cities. Let us at least die there fighting, since the Lord our God has condemned us to die. He has condemned us to drink the poison waters of judgment because we have sinned against him.
• Lamentations 3:28Let a person sit alone in silence, when the Lord is disciplining him.
• Amos 5:13For this reason whoever is smart keeps quiet in such a time, for it is an evil time.
• Amos 8:3The women singing in the temple will wail in that day.” The sovereign Lord is speaking. “There will be many corpses littered everywhere! Be quiet!”

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