Ecclesiastes 3:7

Geneva Bible (1560)

A time to rent, and a time to sowe: a time to keepe silence, and a time to speake.

📖 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 Therefore the prudent shal keepe silence in that time, for it is an euill time.
• Gen 37:29 : 29 Afterwarde Reuben returned to the pit, and beholde, Ioseph was not in the pit: then he rent his clothes,
• Gen 37:34 : 34 And Iaakob rent his clothes, & put sackecloth about his loynes, and sorowed for his sonne a long season.
• Gen 44:18 : 18 Then Iudah drewe neere vnto him, and sayde, O my Lord, let thy seruant nowe speake a worde in my lordes eares, and let not thy wrath be kindled against thy seruant: for thou art euen as Pharaoh.
• Gen 44:34 : 34 For howe can I go vp to my father, if the childe be not with me, vnlesse I woulde see the euil that shall come on my father?
• 1 Sam 19:4-5 : 4 And Ionathan spake good of Dauid vnto Saul his father, & said vnto him, Let not the King sinne against his seruat, against Dauid: for he hath not sinned against thee, but his works haue bene to thee very good. 5 For he did put his life in daunger, and slew the Philistim, and the Lord wrought a great saluation for al Israel: thou sawest it, and thou reioycedst: wherefore then wilt thou sinne against innocent blood, and slay Dauid without a cause?
• 1 Sam 25:24-44 : 24 And fel at his feete, and sayd, Oh, my lord, I haue committed the iniquitie, and I pray thee, let thine handmayde speake to thee, and heare thou the wordes of thine handmayde. 25 Let not my lorde, I pray thee, regard this wicked man Nabal: for as his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and follie is with him: but I thine handmayde sawe not the yong men of my lord whom thou sentest. 26 Now therefore my lord, as the Lord liueth, and as thy soule liueth (the Lorde, I say, that hath withholden thee from coming to shedde blood, & that thine hand should not saue thee) so now thine enemies shall be as Nabal, and they that intend to doe my lord euill. 27 And now, this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought vnto my lorde, let it be giuen vnto the yong men, that followe my lord. 28 I pray thee, forgiue the trespasse of thine handmaide: for the Lorde will make my lorde a sure house, because my lord fighteth the battels of the Lorde, and none euill hath bene found in thee in all thy life. 29 Yet a man hath risen vp to persecute thee, and to seeke thy soule, but the soule of my lorde shall be bounde in the bundel of life with the Lord thy God: & the soule of thine enemies shal God cast out, as out of the middle of a sling. 30 And when the Lorde shall haue done to my lord al the good that he hath promised thee, and shall haue made thee ruler ouer Israel, 31 Then shall it be no griefe vnto thee, nor offence of minde vnto my lord, that he hath not shed blood causelesse, nor that my lorde hath not preserued him selfe: and when the Lorde shall haue dealt well with my lorde, remember thine handmaide. 32 Then Dauid said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lorde God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meete me. 33 And blessed be thy counsel, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day fro coming to shed blood, and that mine hand hath not saued me. 34 For in deede, as the Lord God of Israel liueth, who hath kept me backe from hurting thee, except thou haddest hasted and met mee, surely there had not bene left vnto Nabal by the dawning of the day, any that pisseth against the wall. 35 Then Dauid receiued of her hande that which she had brought him, and said to her, Goe vp in peace to thine house: beholde, I haue heard thy voyce, and haue graunted thy petition. 36 So Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he made a feast in his house, like the feast of a King, and Nabals heart was mery within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore shee tolde him nothing, neither lesse nor more, vntil the morning arose. 37 Then in the morning when the wine was gone out of Nabal, his wife tolde him those wordes, and his heart died within him, and he was like a stone. 38 And about ten dayes after, the Lord smote Nabal, that he dyed. 39 Now when Dauid heard, that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed be the Lord that hath iudged the cause of my rebuke of ye hand of Nabal, and hath kept his seruant from euil: for the Lord hath recompensed the wickednesse of Nabal vpon his owne head. Also Dauid sent to commune with Abigail to take her to his wife. 40 And whe the seruants of Dauid were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spake vnto her, saying, Dauid sent vs to thee, to take thee to his wife. 41 And she arose, and bowed her selfe on her face to the earth, and said, Behold, let thine handmayde be a seruant to wash the feete of the seruants of my lord. 42 And Abigail hasted, & arose, and rode vpon an asse, and her fiue maides folowed her, and she went after the messengers of Dauid, and was his wife. 43 Dauid also tooke Ahinoam of Izreel, and they were both his wiues. 44 Now Saul had giuen Michal his daughter Dauids wife to Phalti the sonne of Laish, which was of Gallim.
• 2 Sam 1:11 : 11 Then Dauid tooke hold on his clothes, & rent them, and likewise al the men that were with him.
• 2 Sam 3:31 : 31 And Dauid said to Ioab, and to al the people that were with him, Rent your clothes, and put on sackecloth, and mourne before Abner: and King Dauid him selfe followed the beare.
• 1 Kgs 21:27 : 27 Nowe when Ahab heard those wordes, he rent his clothes, & put sackcloth vpon him and fasted, and lay in sackecloth and went softely.
• 2 Kgs 5:7 : 7 And when the King of Israel had read the letter, he rent his clothes, and sayde, Am I God, to kil and to giue life, that hee doth send to mee, that I should heale a man from his leprosie? wherfore consider, I pray you, and see howe he seeketh a quarel against me.
• 2 Kgs 6:30 : 30 And when the King had heard the wordes of the woman, he rent his clothes, (& as he went vpon the wall, the people looked, and behold, he had sackecloth within vpon his flesh)
• Esth 4:13-14 : 13 And Mordecai saide, that they should answere Ester thus, Thinke not with thy selfe that thou shalt escape in the Kings house, more then all the Iewes. 14 For if thou holdest thy peace at this time, comfort and deliuerance shall appeare to the Iewes out of another place, but thou and thy fathers house shall perish: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdome for such a time?
• Esth 7:4 : 4 For we are solde, I, & my people, to be destroyed, to be slayne and to perish: but if we were solde for seruants, and for handmaides, I woulde haue helde my tongue: although the aduersarie could not recompense the Kings losse.
• Job 2:13 : 13 So they sate by him vpon the ground seuen dayes, and seuen nights, and none spake a worde vnto him: for they sawe, that the griefe was very great.
• Job 32:4-9 : 4 (Now Elihu had wayted til Iob had spoken: for they were more ancient in yeeres then he) 5 So when Elihu saw, that there was none answere in the mouth of the three men, his wrath was kindled. 6 Therefore Elihu the sonne of Barachel, the Buzite answered, & sayd, I am yong in yeres, and ye are ancient: therefore I doubted, and was afraide to shewe you mine opinion. 7 For I said, The dayes shall speake, and the multitude of yeeres shall teach wisedome. 8 Surely there is a spirite in man, but the inspiration of the Almightie giueth vnderstanding. 9 Great men are not alway wise, neither doe the aged alway vnderstand iudgement. 10 Therefore I say, Heare me, and I will shew also mine opinion. 11 Behold, I did waite vpon your wordes, and hearkened vnto your knowledge, whiles you sought out reasons. 12 Yea, when I had considered you, lo, there was none of you that reproued Iob, nor answered his wordes: 13 Lest ye should say, We haue found wisedome: for God hath cast him downe, and no man. 14 Yet hath he not directed his words to me, neyther will I answere him by your wordes. 15 Then they fearing, answered no more, but left off their talke. 16 When I had wayted (for they spake not, but stood still and answered no more) 17 Then answered I in my turne, and I shewed mine opinion. 18 For I am full of matter, and the spirite within me compelleth me. 19 Beholde, my belly is as the wine, which hath no vent, and like the new bottels that brast. 20 Therefore will I speake, that I may take breath: I will open my lippes, and will answere. 21 I will not now accept the person of man, neyther will I giue titles to man. 22 For I may not giue titles, lest my Maker should take me away suddenly.
• Ps 39:2 : 2 I was dumme & spake nothing: I kept silece euen from good, and my sorow was more stirred.
• Prov 24:11-12 : 11 Deliuer them that are drawen to death: wilt thou not preserue them that are led to be slaine? 12 If thou say, Beholde, we knew not of it: he that pondereth the heartes, doeth not hee vnderstand it? And hee that keepeth thy soule, knoweth he it not? Will not he also recompense euery man according to his workes?
• Prov 31:8-9 : 8 Open thy mouth for the domme in the cause of all the children of destruction. 9 Open thy mouth: iudge righteously, and iudge the afflicted, and the poore.
• Isa 36:21 : 21 Then they kept silence, and answered him not a worde: for the Kings commandement was, saying, Answere him not.
• Jer 8:14 : 14 Why doe we stay? assemble your selues, and let vs enter into the strong cities, and let vs be quiet there: for the Lorde our God hath put vs to silence and giuen vs water with gall to drinke, because we haue sinned against the Lord.
• Jer 36:24 : 24 Yet they were not afraide, nor rent their garmets, neither the King, nor any of his seruants, that heard all these wordes.
• Lam 3:28 : 28 He sitteth alone, and keepeth silence, because he hath borne it vpon him.
• Joel 2:13 : 13 And rent your heart, & not your clothes: and turne vnto the Lord your God, for he is gratious, and mercifull, slowe to anger, and of great kindnes, and repenteth him of the euill.
• Amos 8:3 : 3 And the songs of the Temple shalbe howlings in that day, saith the Lord God: many dead bodies shalbe in euery place: they shall cast them forth with silence.
• Mic 7:5 : 5 Trust ye not in a friend, neither put ye confidence in a counseller: keepe the doores of thy mouth from her that lyeth in thy bosome.
• Luke 19:37-40 : 37 And when he was nowe come neere to the going downe of the mount of Oliues, the whole multitude of the disciples began to reioyce, and to prayse God with a loude voyce, for all the great workes that they had seene, 38 Saying, Blessed be the King that commeth in the Name of the Lord: peace in heauen, and glory in the highest places. 39 Then some of the Pharises of the companie sayd vnto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. 40 But he answered, and sayd vnto them, I tell you, that if these should holde their peace, the stones would crie.
• Acts 4:20 : 20 For we cannot but speake the things which we haue seene and heard.
• Acts 9:39 : 39 Then Peter arose and came with them: and when hee was come, they brought him into the vpper chamber, where all the widowes stoode by him weeping, and shewing the coates and garments, which Dorcas made, while she was with them.