Ecclesiastes 3:6

Geneva Bible (1560)

A time to seeke, and a time to lose: a time to keepe, and a time to cast away.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

עֵ֤ת לְבַקֵּשׁ֙ וְעֵ֣ת לְאַבֵּ֔ד עֵ֥ת לִשְׁמ֖וֹר וְעֵ֥ת לְהַשְׁלִֽיךְ׃

Transliteration

ʿēt to-ləḇaqqēš wə-ʿēt to-ləʾabbēḏ, ʿēt to-lišmôr wə-ʿēt to-ləhašlîḵ

Grammar Details

• *ʿēt*: noun, feminine singular construct - time of
• *lə*: preposition prefix - to/for
• *ḇaqqēš*: verb, piel infinitive construct - to seek
• *wə*: conjunction - and
• *ʾabbēḏ*: verb, piel infinitive construct - to lose/destroy
• *lišmôr*: verb, qal infinitive construct - to keep/guard
• *ləhašlîḵ*: verb, hiphil infinitive construct - to throw away/cast away

Word Meanings

• *ḇaqqēš*: to seek/search for/require
• *ʾabbēḏ*: to lose/destroy/give up as lost
• *šmôr*: to keep/guard/preserve/watch
• *hašlîḵ*: to throw away/cast away/discard

Referenced Verses

• Matt 16:25-26 : 25 For whosoeuer will saue his life, shall lose it: and whosoeuer shall lose his life for my sake, shall finde it. 26 For what shall it profite a man though he should winne the whole worlde, if hee lose his owne soule? Or what shall a man giue for recompence of his soule?
• Mark 8:35-37 : 35 For whosoeuer will saue his life, shall lose it: but whosoeuer shall lose his life for my sake and the Gospels, he shall saue it. 36 For what shall it profite a man, though he should winne the whole world, if he lose his soule? 37 Or what exchange shall a man giue for his soule?
• Luke 9:24-25 : 24 For whosoeuer will saue his life, shal lose it: and whosoeuer shall lose his life for my sake, the same shall saue it. 25 For what auantageth it a man, if he win the whole worlde, and destroy himselfe, or lose himselfe?
• Phil 3:7-8 : 7 But the thinges that were vantage vnto me, the same I counted losse for Christes sake. 8 Yea, doubtlesse I thinke all thinges but losse for the excellent knowledge sake of Christ Iesus my Lorde, for whome I haue counted all things losse, and doe iudge them to bee dongue, that I might winne Christ,
• Heb 10:34-35 : 34 For both ye sorowed with mee for my bonds, and suffered with ioy the spoyling of your goods, knowing in your selues howe that ye haue in heauen a better, and an enduring substance. 35 Cast not away therefore your confidence which hath great recompense of reward.
• Acts 27:19 : 19 And the third day we cast out with our owne hands the tackling of the ship.
• Mark 10:28-30 : 28 Then Peter began to say vnto him, Loe, we haue forsaken all, & haue folowed thee. 29 Iesus answered, and sayd, Verely I say vnto you, there is no man that hath forsaken house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my sake and the Gospels, 30 But he shal receiue an hundred folde, now at this present, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands with persecutions, and in the world to come, eternall life.
• Matt 19:29 : 29 And whosoeuer shal forsake houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my Names sake, he shall receiue an hundreth folde more, and shall inherite euerlasting life.
• Gen 30:30-43 : 30 For the litle, that thou haddest before I came, is increased into a multitude: and the Lorde hath blessed thee by my coming: but nowe when shall I trauell for mine owne house also? 31 Then he saide, What shal I giue thee? And Iaakob answered, Thou shalt giue mee nothing at all: if thou wilt doe this thing for mee, I will returne, feede, and keepe thy sheepe. 32 I wil passe through all thy flockes this day, and separate from them all the sheepe with litle spots & great spots, and al blacke lambes among the sheepe, and the great spotted, and litle spotted among the goates: and it shalbe my wages. 33 So shal my righteousnesse answere for me hereafter, when it shall come for my rewarde before thy face, and euery one that hath not litle or great spots among the goates, and blacke among the sheepe, the same shalbe theft with me. 34 Then Laban sayde, Goe to, woulde God it might be according to thy saying. 35 Therefore he tooke out the same day the hee goates that were partie coloured and with great spots, and all the shee goates with litle and great spots, and all that had white in them, and all the blacke among the sheepe, and put them in the keeping of his sonnes. 36 And hee set three dayes iourney betweene himselfe and Iaakob; Iaakob kept the rest of Labans sheepe. 37 Then Iaakob tooke rods of greene popular, and of hasell, and of the chesnut tree, and pilled white strakes in them, and made the white appeare in the rods. 38 Then he put the rods, which he had pilled, in the gutters and watering troughes, when the sheepe came to drink, before the sheepe. (for they were in heate, when they came to drinke) 39 And the sheepe were in heate before the rods, and afterward brought forth yong of partie colour, and with small and great spots. 40 And Iaakob parted these lambes, and turned the faces of the flocke towardes these lambes partie coloured and all maner of blacke, among the sheepe of Laban: so hee put his owne flockes by themselues, and put them not with Labans flocke. 41 And in euery ramming time of the stronger sheepe, Iaakob layde the rods before the eyes of the sheepe in the gutters, that they might conceiue before the rods. 42 But when the sheepe were feeble, hee put them not in: and so the feebler were Labans, and the stronger Iaakobs. 43 So the man encreased exceedingly, and had many flockes, and maide seruantes, and men seruants, and camels and asses.
• Gen 31:18 : 18 And he caried away all his flockes, & al his substance which he had gotten, to wit, his riches, which he had gotten in Padan Aram, to goe to Izhak his father vnto the land of Canaan.
• Exod 12:35-36 : 35 And the children of Israel did according to the saying of Moses, & they asked of ye Egyptians iewels of siluer & iewels of gold, & raiment. 36 And the Lorde gaue the people fauour in the sight of the Egyptians: and they graunted their request: so they spoyled the Egyptians.
• Deut 8:17-18 : 17 Beware least thou say in thine heart, My power, and the strength of mine owne hand hath prepared me this abundance. 18 But remember the Lorde thy God: for it is he which giueth thee power to get substance to establish his couenant which he sware vnto thy fathers, as appeareth this day.
• 2 Kgs 5:26 : 26 But he saide vnto him, Went not mine heart with thee when the man turned againe fro his charet to meete thee? Is this a time to take money, and to receiue garments, and oliues, and vineyardes, and sheepe, and oxen, and men seruants, and maide seruants?
• 2 Kgs 7:15 : 15 And they went after them vnto Iorden, and loe, all the way was full of clothes and vessels which the Aramites had cast from them in their hast: & the messengers returned, and told ye King.
• 2 Kgs 8:9 : 9 So Hazael went to meete him, and tooke the present in his hand, and of euery good thing of Damascus, euen the burden of fourtie camels, and came and stood before him, and sayde, Thy sonne Ben-hadad King of Aram hath sent me to thee, saying, Shall I recouer of this disease?
• Ps 112:9 : 9 He hath distributed and giuen to ye poore: his righteousnesse remaineth for euer: his horne shalbe exalted with glory.
• Eccl 11:1 : 1 Cast thy bread vpon the waters: for after many daies thou shalt finde it.
• Isa 2:20 : 20 At that day shall man cast away his siluer idoles, & his golden idoles (which they had made themselues to worship them) to the mowles and to the backes,
• Jonah 1:5 : 5 Then the mariners were afraide, and cryed euery man vnto his God, and cast the wares that were in the ship, into the sea to lighten it of the: but Ionah was gone downe into the sides of the ship, and he lay downe, and was fast a sleepe.
• Acts 27:38 : 38 And whe they had eaten ynough, they lightened the ship, & cast out the wheat into the sea.