Ecclesiastes 3:4

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 give birth and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted; 3a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build up; a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance; 5a time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing; 6a time to seek and a time to lose, a time to keep and a time to discard;

Ecclesiastes 3:4 word by word

עֵ֤ת לִבְכּוֹת֙ וְעֵ֣ת לִשְׂח֔וֹק עֵ֥ת סְפ֖וֹד וְעֵ֥ת רְקֽוֹד׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• A timeעֵת‛êth · timeH6256
• to weepבָּכָהbâkâh · to weepH1058
• to laughשָׂחַקώâchaq · to laughH7832
• to mournסָפַדsâphad · to mournH5594
• to danceרָקַדrâqad · to skip aboutH7540

Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 3:4

• Nehemiah 8:9Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the kohen-scribe, and the Levites who were teaching the people said to all the people, “Today is kadosh to Adonai your God. Do not mourn or weep!” For all the people had been weeping when they heard the words of the Torah.
• Nehemiah 9:1Now on the twenty-fourth day of this same month, Bnei-Yisrael gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads.
• Psalms 30:5Sing praise to Adonai, His faithful ones, and praise His holy name.
• Psalms 126:1A Song of Ascents. When Adonai restored the captives of Zion, it was as if we were dreaming.
• Isaiah 22:12Now in that day, Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot will call for weeping and wailing, for baldness and putting on sackcloth.
• Matthew 9:15And Yeshua said to them, “The guests of the bridegroom cannot mourn while the bridegroom is with them, can they? But the days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.
• Matthew 11:17‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance. We wailed, but you did not mourn.’
• John 16:20Amen, amen I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will celebrate. You will be filled with sorrow, but your sorrow will turn to joy!
• Romans 12:15Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.
• 2 Corinthians 7:10For the grief that God wills brings a repentance that leads to salvation, leaving no regret. But the world’s grief brings death.
• James 4:9Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into gloom.
• Genesis 21:6So Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me! Everyone who hears will laugh with me.”
• Luke 1:13But the angel said, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give birth to your son, and you will name him John.
• Luke 6:21Blessed are you who hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.
• Exodus 15:20Then Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing,
• 2 Samuel 6:16But as the ark of Adonai entered the city of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before Adonai, so she despised him in her heart.

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

• Dancing
• Laughter

In the dictionaries

• Dance
• Judge
• Games
• Laughter
• Providence
• 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