Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 (A Time for Everything)
Wisdom Literature / Qoheleth · The rhythmic seasons and divine timing of all earthly things
- First attested
- 3rd century BCEQumran fragments (4QQoh-a); Masoretic Text of Ecclesiastes.
“To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones.”
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Peace comes from recognizing that every experience has its rightful season in the cosmic order.
Ecclesiastes 3:1–11 (Tanakh / Megilloth); Masoretic Text.
The contemplative wisdom poem on the rhythmic cosmic seasons and appropriate timing of human action.
In Ecclesiastes 3:1–8, the sage Qoheleth articulates the timeless poem of cosmic rhythm: "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven." Listing fourteen pairs of opposing human experiences—a time to be born and a time to die, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to keep and a time to cast away—the text teaches that human wisdom consists in discerning the appropriate moment for each action within the overarching divine order.
Light
Equanimity, patience, aligning with natural timing, and accepting inevitable life changes.
Shadow
Fatalistic resignation, cynicism, or using timing as an excuse for procrastination.
