Ecclesiastes 3

This chapter belongs to the opening section of Ecclesiastes. In Ecclesiastes 2, the Preacher declares that pleasure, great works, and wisdom are all vanity, and he concludes that eating, drinking, and finding enjoyment in one's labor come from the hand of God. Chapter 3 broadens this reflection through the theme of "time."

Outline

• Verses 1–8 declare that there is a season and a time for everything, using fourteen pairs (twenty-eight items) of opposites, such as a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up.
• Verses 9–15 ask what profit there is in labor. God has made everything beautiful in its time and has placed a longing for eternity in the human heart, yet He has made it impossible for people to fathom His work from beginning to end. Rejoicing and doing good, as well as eating, drinking, and enjoying one's labor, are presented as gifts of God. What God does endures forever, so that people stand in awe before Him.
• Verses 16–17 observe that wickedness is present even in the place of judgment and affirm that there will be a time when God judges the righteous and the wicked.
• Verses 18–22 state that humans and animals share the same breath and alike die and return to dust. The Preacher asks who knows whether the human spirit goes upward, and concludes that finding enjoyment in one's own work is a person's portion (the lot assigned to each individual).

Key Verses

• Ecclesiastes 3:1 "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven" — the thematic statement that opens the entire chapter.
• Ecclesiastes 3:11 "He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart" (rendered "eternity" in many translations) — speaks both of God's providence and of the limits of human understanding.
• Ecclesiastes 3:20 "All are of the dust, and all turn to dust again" — expresses the inescapability of human death and recalls Genesis 3:17–19.

Characters and Places

• The Preacher — the speaker of the book, introduced in chapter 1 as "the son of David, king in Jerusalem." He has traditionally been identified with Solomon, though some hold that a later author presented this figure as the speaker.
• No specific place is named; the expression "under the sun" refers to the whole world in which people live.

Points for Reflection

• The church has generally interpreted the "times" of verses 1–8 not as an unchangeable fate but as the order and providence ordained by God.
• The Hebrew word in verse 11 that many translations render "eternity" (olam) can also be understood as "a long time" or "the world," so translations and interpretations differ.
• Some interpret verse 21 as a denial of the afterlife. Others see it as a rhetorical question that exposes the limits of human understanding; the latter view reads it together with 12:7, which says that the spirit returns to God.
• The idea of judgment in verse 17 leads into Ecclesiastes 12:13–14 and the New Testament teaching on the Last Judgment. The passage is also read alongside Romans 8:19–23, which says that the creation was made subject to vanity.

In the Korean Church

Verses 1 and 11 are frequently cited at New Year's Eve watch night services, at New Year services, and in sermons addressing turning points in life. Verses 2 and 20 are sometimes read at funeral services.