Ecclesiastes 3:7

Authorized King James Version (1611)

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

📖 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 shall keep silence in that time; for it [is] an evil time.
• Gen 37:29 : 29 And Reuben returned unto the pit; and, behold, Joseph [was] not in the pit; and he rent his clothes.
• Gen 37:34 : 34 And Jacob rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days.
• Gen 44:18 : 18 ¶ Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou [art] even as Pharaoh.
• Gen 44:34 : 34 For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad [be] not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.
• 1 Sam 19:4-5 : 4 And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works [have been] to thee-ward very good: 5 For he did put his life in his hand, and slew the Philistine, and the LORD wrought a great salvation for all Israel: thou sawest [it], and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?
• 1 Sam 25:24-44 : 24 And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, [upon] me [let this] iniquity [be]: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid. 25 Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, [even] Nabal: for as his name [is], so [is] he; Nabal [is] his name, and folly [is] with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send. 26 Now therefore, my lord, [as] the LORD liveth, and [as] thy soul liveth, seeing the LORD hath withholden thee from coming to [shed] blood, and from avenging thyself with thine own hand, now let thine enemies, and they that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal. 27 And now this blessing which thine handmaid hath brought unto my lord, let it even be given unto the young men that follow my lord. 28 I pray thee, forgive the trespass of thine handmaid: for the LORD will certainly make my lord a sure house; because my lord fighteth the battles of the LORD, and evil hath not been found in thee [all] thy days. 29 Yet a man is risen to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul: but the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the LORD thy God; and the souls of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, [as out] of the middle of a sling. 30 And it shall come to pass, when the LORD shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel; 31 That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid. 32 ¶ And David said to Abigail, Blessed [be] the LORD God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me: 33 And blessed [be] thy advice, and blessed [be] thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to [shed] blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand. 34 For in very deed, [as] the LORD God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall. 35 So David received of her hand [that] which she had brought him, and said unto her, Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person. 36 ¶ And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart [was] merry within him, for he [was] very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light. 37 But it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became [as] a stone. 38 And it came to pass about ten days [after], that the LORD smote Nabal, that he died. 39 And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, Blessed [be] the LORD, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept his servant from evil: for the LORD hath returned the wickedness of Nabal upon his own head. And David sent and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife. 40 And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spake unto her, saying, David sent us unto thee, to take thee to him to wife. 41 And she arose, and bowed herself on [her] face to the earth, and said, Behold, [let] thine handmaid [be] a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord. 42 And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that went after her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife. 43 David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel; and they were also both of them his wives. 44 But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Phalti the son of Laish, which [was] of Gallim.
• 2 Sam 1:11 : 11 ¶ Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that [were] with him:
• 2 Sam 3:31 : 31 And David said to Joab, and to all the people that [were] with him, Rend your clothes, and gird you with sackcloth, and mourn before Abner. And king David [himself] followed the bier.
• 1 Kgs 21:27 : 27 And it came to pass, when Ahab heard those words, that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
• 2 Kgs 5:7 : 7 And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, [Am] I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.
• 2 Kgs 6:30 : 30 And it came to pass, when the king heard the words of the woman, that he rent his clothes; and he passed by upon the wall, and the people looked, and, behold, [he had] sackcloth within upon his flesh.
• Esth 4:13-14 : 13 Then Mordecai commanded to answer Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. 14 For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, [then] shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for [such] a time as this?
• Esth 7:4 : 4 For we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my tongue, although the enemy could not countervail the king's damage.
• Job 2:13 : 13 So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that [his] grief was very great.
• Job 32:4-9 : 4 Now Elihu had waited till Job had spoken, because they [were] elder than he. 5 When Elihu saw that [there was] no answer in the mouth of [these] three men, then his wrath was kindled. 6 ¶ And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said, I [am] young, and ye [are] very old; wherefore I was afraid, and durst not shew you mine opinion. 7 I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom. 8 But [there is] a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding. 9 Great men are not [always] wise: neither do the aged understand judgment. 10 Therefore I said, Hearken to me; I also will shew mine opinion. 11 Behold, I waited for your words; I gave ear to your reasons, whilst ye searched out what to say. 12 Yea, I attended unto you, and, behold, [there was] none of you that convinced Job, [or] that answered his words: 13 Lest ye should say, We have found out wisdom: God thrusteth him down, not man. 14 Now he hath not directed [his] words against me: neither will I answer him with your speeches. 15 ¶ They were amazed, they answered no more: they left off speaking. 16 When I had waited, (for they spake not, but stood still, [and] answered no more;) 17 [I said], I will answer also my part, I also will shew mine opinion. 18 For I am full of matter, the spirit within me constraineth me. 19 Behold, my belly [is] as wine [which] hath no vent; it is ready to burst like new bottles. 20 I will speak, that I may be refreshed: I will open my lips and answer. 21 Let me not, I pray you, accept any man's person, neither let me give flattering titles unto man. 22 For I know not to give flattering titles; [in so doing] my maker would soon take me away.
• Ps 39:2 : 2 I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, [even] from good; and my sorrow was stirred.
• Prov 24:11-12 : 11 ¶ If thou forbear to deliver [them that are] drawn unto death, and [those that are] ready to be slain; 12 If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the heart consider [it]? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth [not] he know [it]? and shall [not] he render to [every] man according to his works?
• Prov 31:8-9 : 8 Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. 9 Open thy mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy.
• Isa 36:21 : 21 But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king's commandment was, saying, Answer him not.
• Jer 8:14 : 14 Why do we sit still? assemble yourselves, and let us enter into the defenced cities, and let us be silent there: for the LORD our God hath put us to silence, and given us water of gall to drink, because we have sinned against the LORD.
• Jer 36:24 : 24 Yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments, [neither] the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words.
• Lam 3:28 : 28 He sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because he hath borne [it] upon him.
• Joel 2:13 : 13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he [is] gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.
• Amos 8:3 : 3 And the songs of the temple shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord GOD: [there shall be] many dead bodies in every place; they shall cast [them] forth with silence.
• Mic 7:5 : 5 Trust ye not in a friend, put ye not confidence in a guide: keep the doors of thy mouth from her that lieth in thy bosom.
• Luke 19:37-40 : 37 And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; 38 Saying, Blessed [be] the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. 39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. 40 And he answered and said unto them, ‹I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.›
• Acts 4:20 : 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
• Acts 9:39 : 39 Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.