Ecclesiastes 3:8

Ecclesiastes 3:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
• New International Version (NIV)a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
• English Standard Version (ESV)a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
• New King James Version (NKJV)A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.

Context of Ecclesiastes 3:8

6A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. 7A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace. 9What do people really get for all their hard work? 10I have seen the burden God has placed on us all.

Ecclesiastes 3:8 word by word

עֵ֤ת לֶֽאֱהֹב֙ וְעֵ֣ת לִשְׂנֹ֔א עֵ֥ת מִלְחָמָ֖ה וְעֵ֥ת שָׁלֽוֹם׃ סRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• A timeעֵת‛êth · timeH6256
• to loveאָהֵב'âhab 'âhêb · to love: loverH157
• to hateשָׂנֵאώânê' · to hateH8130
• of warמִלְחָמָהmilchâmâh · battleH4421
• of peaceשָׁלוֹםshâlôm shâlôm · peaceH7965

Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 3:8

• Ezekiel 16:8And when I passed by again, I saw that you were old enough for love. So I wrapped my cloak around you to cover your nakedness and declared my marriage vows. I made a covenant with you, says the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine.
• Psalms 139:21O Lord, shouldn’t I hate those who hate you? Shouldn’t I despise those who oppose you?
• Ephesians 3:19May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
• Ephesians 5:25For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her
• 2 Chronicles 19:2Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him. “Why should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord?” he asked the king. “Because of what you have done, the Lord is very angry with you.
• Luke 14:26“If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.
• Revelation 2:2“I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don’t tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars.
• Genesis 14:14When Abram heard that his nephew Lot had been captured, he mobilized the 318 trained men who had been born into his household. Then he pursued Kedorlaomer’s army until he caught up with them at Dan.
• Joshua 8:1Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take all your fighting men and attack Ai, for I have given you the king of Ai, his people, his town, and his land.
• Joshua 11:23So Joshua took control of the entire land, just as the Lord had instructed Moses. He gave it to the people of Israel as their special possession, dividing the land among the tribes. So the land finally had rest from war.
• 2 Samuel 10:6When the people of Ammon realized how seriously they had angered David, they sent and hired 20,000 Aramean foot soldiers from the lands of Beth-rehob and Zobah, 1,000 from the king of Maacah, and 12,000 from the land of Tob.
• 1 Kings 5:4But now the Lord my God has given me peace on every side; I have no enemies, and all is well.
• 2 Chronicles 20:1After this, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat.

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 3:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8A time to love, - hate, - of war, - of peace - "Love turns to hatred; interest or caprice Dissolves the firmest knot by friendship tied. O'er rival nations, with revenge inflamed, Or lust of power, fell Discord shakes awhile Her baleful torch: now smiling Peace returns." The above paraphrase on the verses cited contains a general view of the principal occurrences of time, in reference to the human being, from his cradle to his grave, through all the…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. 88. hate--for example, sin, lusts (Lu 14:26); that is, to love God so much more as to seem in comparison to hate "father or mother," when coming between us and God. a time of war ... peace--(Lu 14:31).Read the comment

Topics related to Ecclesiastes 3:8

• Nation

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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