Ecclesiastes 3:2
Ecclesiastes 3:2 in Multiple Translations
a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time for birth and a time for death; a time for planting and a time for uprooting;
A time of birth, and a time of death. A time of planting, and a time of harvest.
A time to bee borne, and a time to die: a time to plant, and a time to plucke vp that which is planted.
A time to bring forth, And a time to die. A time to plant, And a time to eradicate the planted.
a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.
There is a time to be born, and there is a time to die. There is a time to plant seeds, and there is a time to harvest crops.
Berean Amplified Bible — Ecclesiastes 3:2
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Ecclesiastes 3:2 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
עֵ֥ת
לָ/לֶ֖דֶת
וְ/עֵ֣ת
לָ/מ֑וּת
עֵ֣ת
לָ/טַ֔עַת
וְ/עֵ֖ת
לַ/עֲק֥וֹר
נָטֽוּעַ
עֵ֥ת
ʻêth
H6256
time
N-cs
לָ/לֶ֖דֶת
yâlad
H3205
to beget
Prep | V-Qal-Inf-a
וְ/עֵ֣ת
ʻêth
H6256
time
Conj | N-cs
לָ/מ֑וּת
mûwth
H4191
to die
Prep | V-Qal-Inf-a
עֵ֣ת
ʻêth
H6256
time
N-cs
לָ/טַ֔עַת
nâṭaʻ
H5193
to plant
Prep | V-Qal-Inf-a
וְ/עֵ֖ת
ʻêth
H6256
time
Conj | N-cs
לַ/עֲק֥וֹר
ʻâqar
H6131
to uproot
Prep | V-Qal-Inf-a
נָטֽוּעַ
nâṭaʻ
H5193
to plant
V-Qal-Inf-c
Hebrew Word Study
Select any word above to explore its original meaning, root, and usage across Scripture.
Use ← → arrow keys to navigate between words.
Hebrew Word Reference — Ecclesiastes 3:2
עֵ֥ת
ʻêth
H6256
"time"
N-cs
Eth means time, especially now or when, and can refer to an event, experience, or occasion. It is often used to describe a specific moment or period.
Definition: 1) time 1a) time (of an event) 1b) time (usual) 1c) experiences, fortunes 1d) occurrence, occasion
Usage: Occurs in 258 OT verses. KJV: [phrase] after, (al-) ways, [idiom] certain, [phrase] continually, [phrase] evening, long, (due) season, so (long) as, (even-, evening-, noon-) tide, (meal-), what) time, when. See also: Genesis 8:11; 2 Chronicles 35:17; Psalms 1:3.
לָ/לֶ֖דֶת
yâlad
H3205
"to beget"
Prep | V-Qal-Inf-a
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means to give birth or beget a child, like when Eve gave birth to Cain in Genesis 4:1. It can also mean to help someone give birth, like a midwife. This word is used in many KJV translations, including Genesis and Isaiah.
Definition: 1) to bear, bringforth, beget, gender, travail 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to bear, bring forth 1a1a) of child birth 1a1b) of distress (simile) 1a1c) of wicked (behaviour) 1a2) to beget 1b) (Niphal) to be born 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to cause or help to bring forth 1c2) to assist or tend as a midwife 1c3) midwife (participle) 1d) (Pual) to be born 1e) (Hiphil) 1e1) to beget (a child) 1e2) to bear (fig. -of wicked bringing forth iniquity) 1f) (Hophal) day of birth, birthday (infinitive) 1g) (Hithpael) to declare one's birth (pedigree)
Usage: Occurs in 403 OT verses. KJV: bear, beget, birth(-day), born, (make to) bring forth (children, young), bring up, calve, child, come, be delivered (of a child), time of delivery, gender, hatch, labour, (do the office of a) midwife, declare pedigrees, be the son of, (woman in, woman that) travail(-eth, -ing woman). See also: Genesis 3:16; Genesis 30:19; 2 Samuel 21:22.
וְ/עֵ֣ת
ʻêth
H6256
"time"
Conj | N-cs
Eth means time, especially now or when, and can refer to an event, experience, or occasion. It is often used to describe a specific moment or period.
Definition: 1) time 1a) time (of an event) 1b) time (usual) 1c) experiences, fortunes 1d) occurrence, occasion
Usage: Occurs in 258 OT verses. KJV: [phrase] after, (al-) ways, [idiom] certain, [phrase] continually, [phrase] evening, long, (due) season, so (long) as, (even-, evening-, noon-) tide, (meal-), what) time, when. See also: Genesis 8:11; 2 Chronicles 35:17; Psalms 1:3.
לָ/מ֑וּת
mûwth
H4191
"to die"
Prep | V-Qal-Inf-a
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means to die, either literally or as a punishment, and is used in books like Genesis and Exodus. It can also mean to perish or be killed. This concept is seen in the story of Adam and Eve, where death enters the world as a result of sin.
Definition: 1) to die, kill, have one executed 1a)(Qal) 1a1) to die 1a2) to die (as penalty), be put to death 1a3) to die, perish (of a nation) 1a4) to die prematurely (by neglect of wise moral conduct) 1b) (Polel) to kill, put to death, dispatch 1c) (Hiphil) to kill, put to death 1d) (Hophal) 1d1) to be killed, be put to death 1d1a) to die prematurely
Usage: Occurs in 695 OT verses. KJV: [idiom] at all, [idiom] crying, (be) dead (body, man, one), (put to, worthy of) death, destroy(-er), (cause to, be like to, must) die, kill, necro(-mancer), [idiom] must needs, slay, [idiom] surely, [idiom] very suddenly, [idiom] in (no) wise. See also: Genesis 2:17; Exodus 21:18; Numbers 35:21.
עֵ֣ת
ʻêth
H6256
"time"
N-cs
Eth means time, especially now or when, and can refer to an event, experience, or occasion. It is often used to describe a specific moment or period.
Definition: 1) time 1a) time (of an event) 1b) time (usual) 1c) experiences, fortunes 1d) occurrence, occasion
Usage: Occurs in 258 OT verses. KJV: [phrase] after, (al-) ways, [idiom] certain, [phrase] continually, [phrase] evening, long, (due) season, so (long) as, (even-, evening-, noon-) tide, (meal-), what) time, when. See also: Genesis 8:11; 2 Chronicles 35:17; Psalms 1:3.
לָ/טַ֔עַת
nâṭaʻ
H5193
"to plant"
Prep | V-Qal-Inf-a
To plant or establish something, like in Genesis 2:8 where God planted a garden in Eden. It can also mean to fix or fasten something in place.
Definition: 1) to plant, fasten, fix, establish 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to plant 1a2) to plant, establish (fig.) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be planted 1b2) to be established (fig.)
Usage: Occurs in 55 OT verses. KJV: fastened, plant(-er). See also: Genesis 2:8; Isaiah 17:10; Psalms 44:3.
וְ/עֵ֖ת
ʻêth
H6256
"time"
Conj | N-cs
Eth means time, especially now or when, and can refer to an event, experience, or occasion. It is often used to describe a specific moment or period.
Definition: 1) time 1a) time (of an event) 1b) time (usual) 1c) experiences, fortunes 1d) occurrence, occasion
Usage: Occurs in 258 OT verses. KJV: [phrase] after, (al-) ways, [idiom] certain, [phrase] continually, [phrase] evening, long, (due) season, so (long) as, (even-, evening-, noon-) tide, (meal-), what) time, when. See also: Genesis 8:11; 2 Chronicles 35:17; Psalms 1:3.
לַ/עֲק֥וֹר
ʻâqar
H6131
"to uproot"
Prep | V-Qal-Inf-a
To hamstring means to cut or pluck up something, especially by the roots. In the Bible, it can also mean to exterminate or destroy something completely, like in the book of Judges.
Definition: 1) to pluck up, root up 1a) (Qal) to pluck up, root up 1b) (Niphal) to be plucked up Aramaic equivalent: a.qar (עֲקַר "be uprooted" H6132)
Usage: Occurs in 7 OT verses. KJV: dig down, hough, pluck up, root up. See also: Genesis 49:6; 2 Samuel 8:4; Zephaniah 2:4.
נָטֽוּעַ
nâṭaʻ
H5193
"to plant"
V-Qal-Inf-c
To plant or establish something, like in Genesis 2:8 where God planted a garden in Eden. It can also mean to fix or fasten something in place.
Definition: 1) to plant, fasten, fix, establish 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to plant 1a2) to plant, establish (fig.) 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be planted 1b2) to be established (fig.)
Usage: Occurs in 55 OT verses. KJV: fastened, plant(-er). See also: Genesis 2:8; Isaiah 17:10; Psalms 44:3.
Study Notes — Ecclesiastes 3:2
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Ecclesiastes 3:2 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Ecclesiastes 3:2
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ecclesiastes 3:2
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 3:2
- Trapp's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 3:2
- Ellicott's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 3:2
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 3:2
- Cambridge Bible on Ecclesiastes 3:2
- Whedon's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 3:2
- Sermons on Ecclesiastes 3:2
Context — To Everything There Is a Season
1To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:
2a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to break down and a time to build, 4a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hebrews 9:27 | Just as man is appointed to die once, and after that to face judgment, |
| 2 | Job 14:5 | Since his days are determined and the number of his months is with You, and since You have set limits that he cannot exceed, |
| 3 | Matthew 15:13 | But Jesus replied, “Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by its roots. |
| 4 | Jeremiah 18:7–10 | At any time I might announce that a nation or kingdom will be uprooted, torn down, and destroyed. But if that nation I warned turns from its evil, then I will relent of the disaster I had planned to bring. And if at another time I announce that I will build up and establish a nation or kingdom, and if it does evil in My sight and does not listen to My voice, then I will relent of the good I had intended for it. |
| 5 | Isaiah 38:1 | In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill. The prophet Isaiah son of Amoz came to him and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Put your house in order, for you are about to die; you will not recover.’” |
| 6 | Job 7:1 | “Is not man consigned to labor on earth? Are not his days like those of a hired hand? |
| 7 | Galatians 4:4 | But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, |
| 8 | Luke 1:20 | And now you will be silent and unable to speak until the day this comes to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.” |
| 9 | John 16:21 | A woman has pain in childbirth because her time has come; but when she brings forth her child, she forgets her anguish because of her joy that a child has been born into the world. |
| 10 | Acts 7:17 | As the time drew near for God to fulfill His promise to Abraham, our people in Egypt increased greatly in number. |
Ecclesiastes 3:2 Summary
This verse reminds us that life is full of different seasons and experiences, and each one has its own time and purpose. Just like how we are born and will one day die, things in our lives will also be planted and uprooted. This can be scary, but we can trust that God is in control and has a plan for our lives, as seen in Jeremiah 29:11, where it says He has plans to prosper us, not to harm us. By trusting in God's sovereignty and wisdom, we can find peace and purpose in every season of life, just as Psalm 23:4 reminds us that even in the darkest valley, God is with us.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to have 'a time to be born and a time to die'?
This phrase reminds us that our lives have a beginning and an end, and that both are appointed by God, as seen in Psalm 139:16, where it says our days were written in God's book before we were born.
Is the concept of 'a time to plant and a time to uproot' only about farming?
While farming is one application, this phrase also symbolizes the cycles of life, including spiritual growth and pruning, as mentioned in John 15:2, where Jesus talks about the Father pruning branches to bear more fruit.
How can we know what time it is in our lives, whether it's for birth, death, planting, or uprooting?
We can seek God's wisdom and timing through prayer and reading His Word, as encouraged in James 1:5, which says if we lack wisdom, we should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault.
Does this verse imply that our actions are predetermined and we have no control?
While God has a sovereign plan, we also have the gift of choice, as seen in Deuteronomy 30:19, where it says we can choose life or death, blessings or curses, emphasizing our responsibility alongside God's sovereignty.
Reflection Questions
- What season of life am I currently in, and how can I surrender to God's timing?
- How can I trust God's sovereignty in the face of birth, death, planting, and uprooting in my life?
- What are some areas in my life where I need to trust God's timing, whether it's for new beginnings or endings?
- In what ways can I cooperate with God's plan, allowing Him to 'plant' or 'uproot' things in my life as He sees fit?
Gill's Exposition on Ecclesiastes 3:2
A time to be born,.... The Targum is, "to beget sons and daughters;'' but rather it is to bear them, there being a time in nature fixed for that, called the hour of a woman, Job 14:1; and a time to
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ecclesiastes 3:2
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to be born - rather, as Hebrew, laledeth, to bear.
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 3:2
A time to die; a certain period unknown to man, but fixed by God, in which a man must unavoidably die; of which see . A time to plant; wherein God inclines a man’ s heart to planting.
Trapp's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 3:2
Ecclesiastes 3:2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up [that which is] planted;Ver. 2. There is a time to be born, and a time to die]. We do not hear the wise man say, There is a time to live. What is more fleeting than time? yet life is not long enough to be worthy the title of time. Death borders upon our birth, and our cradle stands in our grave. Orimur, morimur. we spring forth, we die. “ Multos ostendunt terris bona faeta, nec ultra Esse sinunt … Finisque ab origine pendet. ” How many have we seen carried from the womb to the tomb; from the birth to the burial! And what a short cut hath the longest liver from the grave of the womb to the womb of the grave! Men chop into the earth before they are aware many times; like as he that walks in a field covered with snow falls suddenly into a clay pit. A time to plant, &c.] In point of good husbandry fit seasons are to be observed, or else little increase can be expected. God also, the great vinedresser, plants and plucks up more churches or particular persons at his pleasure.
Jerusalem, that plant of renown, is now of an Eden become a Sodom, and that which Moses threatened is fulfilled to the utmost. Susa in Persia signifies a lily, and was so called for the beauty and delectable sight; now it is called Valdac, of the poverty of the place. Nineveh, that great city, that once had more people within her walls than are now in some one kingdom, is at this day become a sepulture of itself, a little town of small trade, where the patriarch of the Nestorians keeps his seat at the devotion of the Turks. “ Roma diu titubans variis erroribus acta Corruet, et mundi definet esse caput. ” Ab utero ab urnam. Frid. secund. Imper.
Ellicott's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 3:2
(2) The list of times and seasons is ranged in Hebrew MSS. and printed books in two parallel columns. A time to die.—Job 14:5.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 3:2
Verse 2. A time to be born, and a time to die - plant] "As in its mother's womb the embryo lies A space determined; to full growth arrived, From its dark prison bursts, and sees the light; So is the period fix'd when man shall drop Into the grave. - A time there is to plant, And sow; another time to pluck and reap. Even nations have their destined rise and fall: Awhile they thrive; and for destruction ripe, When grown, are rooted up like wither'd plants."
Cambridge Bible on Ecclesiastes 3:2
2. A time to be born] Literally, a time to bear. It should be noted that in Hebrew MSS. and printed texts, the list of Times and Seasons appears in two parallel columns, as if forming a kind of rhythmical catalogue, what the Greeks called a συστοιχία, or Table of Contrasts. It seems at first strange that the list should begin with events which are (putting aside the exceptional case of suicide) involuntary. It may be, however, that they were chosen for that very reason as representative instances of the fixed order on which the writer dwells. We shrink from the thought of an untimely birth (ch. Ecclesiastes 6:3) or an untimely death; we shudder at the thought of accelerating either, or of hindering the former, and yet the other incidents of life have, not less than these, each of them, their appointed season, if only we could discern it. a time to plant] Human life in its beginning and its end is seen to have a parallel in that of plants. Here also there is a time for sowing, and after the fruits of the earth have been gathered in (this and not a wanton destruction, which would be a violation of the natural order, is clearly meant) to pluck up that the planting may again come. It is, perhaps, over fanciful to make the words include the “planting” and “uprooting” of nations and kingdoms as in Jeremiah 1:10. It is significant, however, that the word for “pluck up” is an unusual word, and, where it occurs elsewhere, in the O.
T. is used figuratively of the destruction of cities as in Zephaniah 2:4.
Whedon's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 3:2
2. A time to be born… to die — The hour of our birth is set independently of us; that of our death is reached with more complication, and our will is an element to some degree in the case; but the
Sermons on Ecclesiastes 3:2
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
|
Memento Mori by C.H. Spurgeon | C.H. Spurgeon delivers a powerful sermon titled 'Memento Mori,' urging listeners to reflect on the inevitability of death and the importance of considering their eternal destiny. H |
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Viewing Death Biblically by Mack Tomlinson | This sermon delves into the biblical perspective on death, emphasizing the certainty and uncertainty of death for all individuals. It highlights the importance of viewing death bib |
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Time's Shortness by Thomas Watson | Thomas Watson preaches a sermon on the shortness of time, emphasizing the brevity and transitoriness of life. He urges believers to love one another, avoid discord, and strive for |
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The Spirit and the Standard by Thomas Bradbury | Thomas Bradbury preaches about the total depravity of human nature and the universal corruption, emphasizing the distance sin creates between individuals and God. He delves into th |
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"A Million Roads Into Hell" by Leonard Ravenhill | This sermon emphasizes the eternal consequences of not choosing salvation through Jesus Christ, highlighting the stark contrast between the eternal joy of heaven and the despair of |
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(1 Peter - Part 29): False Teaching on Obscure Teaching by A.W. Tozer | In this sermon, the preacher discusses the concept of salvation and the role of baptism in it. He emphasizes that very few people were saved in the past, highlighting the importanc |
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The Best Is Yet to Come by Warren Wiersbe | In this sermon, Peter emphasizes the theme of glory and the wonderful future that awaits Christians. He highlights the importance of serving and being faithful in one's role within |