Ecclesiastes 3:19

Ecclesiastes 3:19 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
• English Standard Version (ESV)For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity.
• New Living Translation (NLT)For people and animals share the same fate—both breathe and both must die. So people have no real advantage over the animals. How meaningless!

Context of Ecclesiastes 3:19

17I said to myself, “God will bring into judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed.” 18I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. 20All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. 21Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”

Ecclesiastes 3:19 word by word

כִּי֩ מִקְרֶ֨ה בְֽנֵי־הָאָדָ֜ם וּמִקְרֶ֣ה הַבְּהֵמָ֗ה וּמִקְרֶ֤ה אֶחָד֙ לָהֶ֔ם כְּמ֥וֹת זֶה֙ כֵּ֣ן מ֣וֹת זֶ֔ה וְר֥וּחַ אֶחָ֖ד לַכֹּ֑ל וּמוֹתַ֨ר הָאָדָ֤ם מִן־הַבְּהֵמָה֙ אָ֔יִן כִּ֥י הַכֹּ֖ל הָֽבֶל׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• For that which befallethמִקְרֶהmiqreh · accidentH4745
• the sonsבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• of menאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
• beastsבְּהֵמָהbehêmâh · animalH929
• even one thingאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
• them: as the one diethמָ֫וֶתmâveth · deathH4194
• the otherזֶהzeh · thisH2088
• breathרוּחַrûach · spirit: breathH7307
• hath no preeminenceמוֹתָרmôthâr · advantageH4195
• vanityהֶ֫בֶלhebel hăbêl · vanityH1892

Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 3:19

• Ecclesiastes 2:16For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered; the days have already come when both have been forgotten. Like the fool, the wise too must die!
• Psalms 49:12People, despite their wealth, do not endure; they are like the beasts that perish.
• Psalms 92:6Senseless people do not know, fools do not understand,
• 2 Samuel 14:14Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But that is not what God desires; rather, he devises ways so that a banished person does not remain banished from him.
• Job 14:10But a man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last and is no more.
• Psalms 104:29When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.
• Ecclesiastes 2:20So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun.
• Psalms 39:5You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure.
• Psalms 89:47Remember how fleeting is my life. For what futility you have created all humanity!

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 3:19

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 19For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts - From the present comparison of great men to beasts, the author takes occasion to enforce the subject by mentioning the state of mankind in general, with respect to the mortality of their bodies; and then, by an easy transition, touches in the next verse on the point which is of such infinite consequence to religion. As the one dieth, so dieth the other - Animal life is the same both in the man…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16-22Verses 16-22 That great anomaly in the moral government of this world, the seemingly unequal distribution of rewards and punishments, will be rectified by God, who has future times and events under His control Ecclesiastes 3:16-17. As for people, they are placed by God, who is their teacher, in a humble condition, even on a level with inferior animals, by death, that great instance of their subjection to vanity Ecclesiastes 3:18-19, which reduces to its…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-22Verses 16-22 Without the fear of the Lord, man is but vanity; set that aside, and judges will not use their power well. And there is another Judge that stands before the door. With God there is a time for the redressing of grievances, though as yet we see it not. Solomon seems to express his wish that men might perceive, that by choosing this world as their portion, they brought themselves to a level with the beasts, without being free, as they are, from…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19When it comes to breathing and dying, people are like animals, but we have other advantages (for example, see Genesis 1:26–28).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1919. Literally, "For the sons of men (Adam) are a mere chance, as also the beast is a mere chance." These words can only be the sentiments of the skeptical oppressors. God's delay in judgment gives scope for the "manifestation" of their infidelity (Ec 8:11; Psa 55:19; 2Pe 3:3,4). They are "brute beasts," morally (Ec 3:18; Jude 10); and they end by maintaining that man, physically, has no pre-eminence over the beast, both alike being "fortuities." Probably…Read the comment

Topics related to Ecclesiastes 3:19

• Animals
• Death

In the dictionaries

• Dance
• Judge
• Chance
• Preeminence
• Psalms, Book of
• 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