Ecclesiastes 3:7

Bible in Basic English (1941)

A time for undoing and a time for stitching; a time for keeping quiet and a time for talk;

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

עֵ֤ת לִקְר֙וֹעַ֙ וְעֵ֣ת לִתְפּ֔וֹר עֵ֥ת לַחֲשׁ֖וֹת וְעֵ֥ת לְדַבֵּֽר׃

Transliteration

ʿēt to-liqrôaʿ wə-ʿēt to-liṯpôr, ʿēt to-laḥăšôṯ wə-ʿēt to-ləḏabbēr

Grammar Details

• *ʿēt*: noun, feminine singular construct - time of
• *li*: preposition prefix - to/for
• *qrôaʿ*: verb, qal infinitive construct - to tear/rend
• *wə*: conjunction - and
• *liṯpôr*: verb, qal infinitive construct - to sew
• *laḥăšôṯ*: verb, qal infinitive construct - to be silent
• *ləḏabbēr*: verb, piel infinitive construct - to speak

Word Meanings

• *qrôaʿ*: to tear/rend/tear apart
• *ṯpôr*: to sew/mend
• *ḥăšôṯ*: to be silent/quiet/still
• *ḏabbēr*: to speak/talk/declare

Referenced Verses

• Amos 5:13 : 13 So the wise will say nothing in that time; for it is an evil time.
• Gen 37:29 : 29 Now when Reuben came back to the hole, Joseph was not there; and giving signs of grief,
• Gen 37:34 : 34 Then Jacob, giving signs of grief, put on haircloth, and went on weeping for his son day after day.
• Gen 44:18 : 18 Then Judah came near him, and said, Let your servant say a word in my lord's ears, and let not your wrath be burning against your servant: for you are in the place of Pharaoh to us.
• Gen 44:34 : 34 For how may I go back to my father without the boy, and see the evil which will come on my father?
• 1 Sam 19:4-5 : 4 And Jonathan gave his father Saul a good account of David, and said to him, Let not the king do wrong against his servant, against David; because he has done you no wrong, and all his acts have had a good outcome for you: 5 For he put his life in danger and overcame the Philistine, and the Lord gave all Israel salvation: you saw it and were glad: why then are you sinning against him who has done no wrong, desiring the death of David without cause?
• 1 Sam 25:24-44 : 24 And falling at his feet she said, May the wrong be on me, my lord, on me: let your servant say a word to you, and give ear to the words of your servant. 25 Let my lord give no attention to Nabal, that good-for-nothing: for as his name is, so is he, a man without sense: but I, your servant, did not see the young men whom my lord sent. 26 So now, my lord, by the living God and by your living soul, seeing that the Lord has kept you from the crime of blood and from taking into your hands the punishment for your wrongs, may all your haters, and those who would do evil to my lord, be like Nabal. 27 And let this offering, which your servant gives to my lord, be given to the young men who are with my lord. 28 And may the sin of your servant have forgiveness: for the Lord will certainly make your family strong, because my lord is fighting in the Lord's war; and no evil will be seen in you all your days. 29 And though a man has taken up arms against you, putting your life in danger, still the soul of my lord will be kept safe among the band of the living with the Lord your God; and the souls of those who are against you he will send violently away from him, like stones from a bag. 30 And when the Lord has done for my lord all those good things which he has said he will do for you, and has made you a ruler over Israel; 31 Then you will have no cause for grief, and my lord's heart will not be troubled because you have taken life without cause and have yourself given punishment for your wrongs: and when the Lord has been good to you, then give a thought to your servant. 32 And David said to Abigail, May the Lord, the God of Israel, be praised, who sent you to me today: 33 A blessing on your good sense and on you, who have kept me today from the crime of blood and from taking into my hands the punishment for my wrongs. 34 For truly, by the living Lord, the God of Israel, who has kept me from doing you evil, if you had not been so quick in coming to me and meeting me, by dawn there would not have been in Nabal's house so much as one male living. 35 Then David took from her hands her offering: and he said to her, Go back to your house in peace; see, I have given ear to your voice, and taken your offering with respect. 36 And Abigail went back to Nabal; and he was feasting in his house like a king; and Nabal's heart was full of joy, for he had taken much wine; so she said nothing to him till dawn came. 37 And in the morning, when the effect of the wine was gone, Nabal's wife gave him an account of all these things, and all the heart went out of him, and he became like stone. 38 And about ten days after, the Lord sent disease on Nabal and death came to him. 39 And David, hearing that Nabal was dead, said, May the Lord be praised, who has taken up my cause against Nabal for the shame which he put on me, and has kept back his servant from evil, and has sent on Nabal's head the reward of his evil-doing. And David sent word to Abigail, desiring to take her as his wife. 40 And when David's servants came to Carmel, to Abigail, they said to her, David has sent us to you to take you to him as his wife. 41 And she got up, and going down on her face to the earth, said, See, I am ready to be a servant-girl, washing the feet of the servants of my lord. 42 Then Abigail got up quickly and went on her ass, with five of her young women, after the men whom David had sent; and she became David's wife. 43 And David had taken Ahinoam of Jezreel, to be his wife; these two were his wives. 44 Now Saul had given his daughter Michal, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish of Gallim.
• 2 Sam 1:11 : 11 Then David gave way to bitter grief, and so did all the men who were with him:
• 2 Sam 3:31 : 31 And David said to Joab and all the people who were with him, Go in grief and put haircloth about you, in sorrow for Abner. And King David went after the dead body.
• 1 Kgs 21:27 : 27 Hearing these words, Ahab, in great grief, put haircloth on his flesh and went without food, sleeping in haircloth, and going about quietly.
• 2 Kgs 5:7 : 7 But the king of Israel, after reading the letter, was greatly troubled and said, Am I God, to give death and life? why does this man send a leper to me to be made well? is it not clear that he is looking for a cause of war?
• 2 Kgs 6:30 : 30 Then the king, hearing what the woman said, took his robes in his hands, violently parting them; and, while he was walking on the wall, the people, looking, saw that under his robe he had haircloth on his flesh.
• Esth 4:13-14 : 13 Then Mordecai sent this answer back to Esther: Do not have the idea that you in the king's house will be safe from the fate of all the Jews. 14 If at this time you say nothing, then help and salvation will come to the Jews from some other place, but you and your father's family will come to destruction: and who is to say that you have not come to the kingdom even for such a time as this?
• Esth 7:4 : 4 For we are given up, I and my people, to destruction and death and to be cut off. If we had been taken as men-servants and women-servants for a price, I would have said nothing, for our trouble is little in comparison with the king's loss.
• Job 2:13 : 13 And they took their seats on the earth by his side for seven days and seven nights: but no one said a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.
• Job 32:4-9 : 4 Now Elihu had kept quiet while Job was talking, because they were older than he; 5 And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men, he was very angry. 6 And Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, made answer and said, I am young, and you are very old, so I was in fear, and kept myself from putting my knowledge before you. 7 I said to myself, It is right for the old to say what is in their minds, and for those who are far on in years to give out wisdom. 8 But truly it is the spirit in man, even the breath of the Ruler of all, which gives them knowledge. 9 It is not the old who are wise, and those who are full of years have not the knowledge of what is right. 10 So I say, Give ear to me, and I will put forward my knowledge. 11 I was waiting for your words, I was giving ear to your wise sayings; while you were searching out what to say, 12 I was taking note; and truly not one of you was able to make clear Job's error, or to give an answer to his words. 13 Take care that you do not say, Wisdom is here; God may overcome him, but not man. 14 I will not put forward words like these, or make use of your sayings in answer to him. 15 Fear has overcome them, they have no more answers to give; they have come to an end of words. 16 And am I to go on waiting while they have nothing to say? while they keep quiet and give no more answers? 17 I will give my answer; I will put forward my knowledge: 18 For I am full of words, I am unable to keep in my breath any longer: 19 My stomach is like wine which is unable to get out; like skins full of new wine, it is almost burst. 20 Let me say what is in my mind, so that I may get comfort; let me give answer with open mouth. 21 Let me not give respect to any man, or give names of honour to any living. 22 For I am not able to give names of honour to any man; and if I did, my Maker would quickly take me away.
• Ps 39:2 : 2 I made no sound, I said no word, even of good; and I was moved with sorrow.
• Prov 24:11-12 : 11 Be the saviour of those who are given up to death, and do not keep back help from those who are slipping to destruction. 12 If you say, See, we had no knowledge of this: does not the tester of hearts give thought to it? and he who keeps your soul, has he no knowledge of it? and will he not give to every man the reward of his work?
• Prov 31:8-9 : 8 Let your mouth be open for those who have no voice, in the cause of those who are ready for death. 9 Let your mouth be open, judging rightly, and give right decisions in the cause of the poor and those in need.
• Isa 36:21 : 21 But they kept quiet and gave him no answer: for the king's order was, Give him no answer.
• Jer 8:14 : 14 Why are we seated doing nothing? come together, and let us go to the walled towns, and let destruction overtake us there, for the Lord our God has sent destruction on us, and given us bitter water for our drink, because we have done evil against the Lord.
• Jer 36:24 : 24 But they had no fear and gave no signs of grief, not the king or any of his servants, after hearing all these words.
• Lam 3:28 : 28 Let him be seated by himself, saying nothing, because he has put it on him.
• Joel 2:13 : 13 Let your hearts be broken, and not your clothing, and come back to the Lord your God: for he is full of grace and pity, slow to be angry and great in mercy, ready to be turned from his purpose of punishment.
• Amos 8:3 : 3 And the songs of the king's house will be cries of pain in that day, says the Lord God: great will be the number of the dead bodies, and everywhere they will put them out without a word.
• Mic 7:5 : 5 Put no faith in a friend, do not let your hope be placed in a relation: keep watch on the doors of your mouth against her who is resting on your breast.
• Luke 19:37-40 : 37 And when he came near the foot of the Mountain of Olives, all the disciples with loud voices gave praise to God with joy, because of all the great works which they had seen; 38 Saying, A blessing on the King who comes in the name of the Lord; peace in heaven and glory in the highest. 39 And some of the Pharisees among the people said to him, Master, make your disciples be quiet. 40 And he said in answer, I say to you, if these men keep quiet, the very stones will be crying out.
• Acts 4:20 : 20 For it is not possible for us to keep from saying what we have seen and have knowledge of.
• Acts 9:39 : 39 And Peter went with them. And when he had come, they took him into the room: and all the widows were there, weeping and putting before him the coats and clothing which Dorcas had made while she was with them.