Ecclesiastes 3:7

Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

A time to rend, And a time to sew. A time to be silent, 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 is the wise at that time silent, For an evil time it `is'.
• Gen 37:29 : 29 And Reuben returneth unto the pit, and lo, Joseph is not in the pit, and he rendeth his garments,
• Gen 37:34 : 34 And Jacob rendeth his raiment, and putteth sackcloth on his loins, and becometh a mourner for his son many days,
• Gen 44:18 : 18 And Judah cometh nigh unto him, and saith, `O, my lord, let thy servant speak, I pray thee, a word in the ears of my lord, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant -- for thou art as Pharaoh.
• Gen 44:34 : 34 for how do I go up unto my father, and the youth not with me? lest I look on the evil which doth find my father.'
• 1 Sam 19:4-5 : 4 And Jonathan speaketh good of David unto Saul his father, and saith unto him, `Let not the king sin against his servant, against David, because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works for thee `are' very good; 5 yea, he putteth his life in his hand, and smiteth the Philistine, and Jehovah worketh a great salvation for all Israel; thou hast seen, and dost rejoice, and why dost thou sin against innocent blood, to put David to death for nought?'
• 1 Sam 25:24-44 : 24 and falleth at his feet and saith, `On me, my lord, the iniquity; and let, I pray thee, thy handmaid speak in thine ear, and hear the words of thy handmaid. 25 `Let not, I pray thee, my lord set his heart to this man of worthlessness, on Nabal, for as his name `is' so `is' he; Nabal `is' his name, and folly `is' with him; and I, thine handmaid, did not see the young men of my lord whom thou didst send; 26 and now, my lord, Jehovah liveth, and thy soul liveth, in that Jehovah hath withheld thee from coming in with blood, and to save thy hand to thee -- now let thine enemies be as Nabal, even those seeking evil unto my lord. 27 `And, now, this blessing which thy maid-servant hath brought to my lord -- it hath been given to the young men who are going up and down at the feet of my lord. 28 `Bear, I pray thee, with the transgression of thy handmaid, for Jehovah doth certainly make to my lord a stedfast house; for the battles of Jehovah hath my lord fought, and evil is not found in thee `all' thy days. 29 And man riseth to pursue thee and to seek thy soul, and the soul of my lord hath been bound in the bundle of life with Jehovah thy God; as to the soul of thine enemies, He doth sling them out in the midst of the hollow of the sling. 30 `And it hath been, when Jehovah doth to my lord according to all the good which He hath spoken concerning thee, and appointed thee for leader over Israel, 31 that this is not to thee for a stumbling-block, and for an offence of heart to my lord -- either to shed blood for nought, or my lord's restraining himself; and Jehovah hath done good to my lord, and thou hast remembered thy handmaid.' 32 And David saith to Abigail, `Blessed `is' Jehovah, God of Israel, who hath sent thee this day to meet me, 33 and blessed `is' thy discretion, and blessed `art' thou in that thou hast restrained me this day from coming in with blood, and to restrain my hand to myself. 34 And yet, Jehovah liveth, God of Israel, who hath kept me back from doing evil with thee, for unless thou hadst hasted, and dost come to meet me, surely there had not been left to Nabal till the light of the morning, of those sitting on the wall.' 35 And David receiveth from her hand that which she hath brought to him, and to her he hath said, `Go up in peace to thy house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and accept thy face.' 36 And Abigail cometh in unto Nabal, and lo, he hath a banquet in his house, like a banquet of the king, and the heart of Nabal `is' glad within him, and he `is' drunk unto excess, and she hath not declared to him anything, less or more, till the light of the morning. 37 And it cometh to pass in the morning, when the wine is gone out from Nabal, that his wife declareth to him these things, and his heart dieth within him, and he hath been as a stone. 38 And it cometh to pass, `in' about ten days, that Jehovah smiteth Nabal, and he dieth, 39 and David heareth that Nabal `is' dead, and saith, `Blessed `is' Jehovah who hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and His servant hath kept back from evil, and the wickedness of Nabal hath Jehovah turned back on his own head;' and David sendeth and speaketh with Abigail, to take her to him for a wife. 40 And the servants of David come in unto Abigail at Carmel, and speak unto her, saying, `David hath sent us unto thee to take thee to him for a wife.' 41 And she riseth and boweth herself -- face to the earth -- and saith, `Lo, thy handmaid `is' for a maid-servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord.' 42 And Abigail hasteth and riseth, and rideth on the ass; and five of her young women who are going at her feet; and she goeth after the messengers of David, and is to him for a wife. 43 And Ahinoam hath David taken from Jezreel, and they are -- even both of them -- to him for wives; 44 and Saul gave Michal his daughter, wife to David, to Phalti son of Laish, who `is' of Gallim.
• 2 Sam 1:11 : 11 And David taketh hold on his garments, and rendeth them, and also all the men who `are' with him,
• 2 Sam 3:31 : 31 And David saith unto Joab, and unto all the people who `are' with him, `Rend your garments, and gird on sackcloth, and mourn before Abner;' and king David is going after the bier.
• 1 Kgs 21:27 : 27 And it cometh to pass, at Ahab's hearing these words, that he rendeth his garments, and putteth sackcloth on his flesh, and fasteth, and lieth in sackcloth, and goeth gently.
• 2 Kgs 5:7 : 7 And it cometh to pass, at the king of Israel's reading the letter, that he rendeth his garments, and saith, `Am I God, to put to death and to keep alive, that this `one' is sending unto me to recover a man from his leprosy? for surely know, I pray you, and see, for he is presenting himself to me.'
• 2 Kgs 6:30 : 30 And it cometh to pass, at the king's hearing the words of the woman, that he rendeth his garments, and he is passing by on the wall, and the people see, and lo, the sackcloth `is' on his flesh within.
• Esth 4:13-14 : 13 and Mordecai speaketh to send back unto Esther: `Do not think in thy soul to be delivered `in' the house of the king, more than all the Jews, 14 but if thou keep entirely silent at this time, respite and deliverance remaineth to the Jews from another place, and thou and the house of thy fathers are destroyed; and who knoweth whether for a time like this thou hast come to the kingdom?'
• Esth 7:4 : 4 for we have been sold, I and my people, to cut off, to slay, and to destroy; and if for men-servants and for maid-servants we had been sold I had kept silent -- but the adversity is not equal to the loss of the king.'
• Job 2:13 : 13 And they sit with him on the earth seven days and seven nights, and there is none speaking unto him a word when they have seen that the pain hath been very great.
• Job 32:4-9 : 4 And Elihu hath waited earnestly beside Job with words, for they are older than he in days. 5 And Elihu seeth that there is no answer in the mouth of the three men, and his anger burneth. 6 And Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite answereth and saith: -- Young I `am' in days, and ye `are' age Therefore I have feared, And am afraid of shewing you my opinion. 7 I said: Days do speak, And multitude of years teach wisdom. 8 Surely a spirit is in man, And the breath of the Mighty One Doth cause them to understand. 9 The multitude are not wise, Nor do the aged understand judgment. 10 Therefore I have said: Hearken to me, I do shew my opinion -- even I. 11 Lo, I have waited for your words, I give ear unto your reasons, Till ye search out sayings. 12 And unto you I attend, And lo, there is no reasoner for Job, `Or' answerer of his sayings among you. 13 Lest ye say, We have found wisdom, God doth thrust him away, not man. 14 And he hath not set in array words for me, And with your sayings I do not answer him. 15 (They have broken down, They have not answered again, They removed from themselves words. 16 And I have waited, but they do not speak, For they have stood still, They have not answered any more.) 17 I answer, even I -- my share, I shew my opinion -- even I. 18 For I have been full of words, Distressed me hath the spirit of my breast, 19 Lo, my breast `is' as wine not opened, Like new bottles it is broken up. 20 I speak, and there is refreshment to me, I open my lips and answer. 21 Let me not, I pray you, accept the face of any, Nor unto man give flattering titles, 22 For I have not known to give flattering titles, In a little doth my Maker take me away.
• Ps 39:2 : 2 I was dumb `with' silence, I kept silent from good, and my pain is excited.
• Prov 24:11-12 : 11 If `from' delivering those taken to death, And those slipping to the slaughter -- thou keepest back. 12 When thou sayest, `Lo, we knew not this.' Is not the Ponderer of hearts He who understandeth? And the Keeper of thy soul He who knoweth? And He hath rendered to man according to his work.
• Prov 31:8-9 : 8 Open thy mouth for the dumb, For the right of all sons of change. 9 Open thy mouth, judge righteously, Both the cause of the poor and needy!'
• Isa 36:21 : 21 And they keep silent, and have not answered him a word, for a command of the king is, saying, `Do not answer him.'
• Jer 8:14 : 14 Wherefore are we sitting still? Be gathered, and we go in to the fenced cities, And we are silent there, For Jehovah our God hath made us silent, Yea, He causeth us to drink water of gall, For we have sinned against Jehovah.
• Jer 36:24 : 24 And the king and all his servants who are hearing all these words have not been afraid, nor rent their garments.
• Lam 3:28 : 28 He sitteth alone, and is silent, For He hath laid `it' upon him.
• Joel 2:13 : 13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, And turn back unto Jehovah your God, For gracious and merciful `is' He, Slow to anger, and abundant in kindness, And He hath repented concerning the evil.
• Amos 8:3 : 3 And howled have songstresses of a palace in that day, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah, Many `are' the carcases, into any place throw -- hush!
• Mic 7:5 : 5 Believe not in a friend, trust not in a leader, From her who is lying in thy bosom keep the openings of thy mouth.
• Luke 19:37-40 : 37 and as he is coming nigh now, at the descent of the mount of the Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began rejoicing to praise God with a great voice for all the mighty works they had seen, 38 saying, `blessed `is' he who is coming, a king in the name of the Lord; peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.' 39 And certain of the Pharisees from the multitude said unto him, `Teacher, rebuke thy disciples;' 40 and he answering said to them, `I say to you, that, if these shall be silent, the stones will cry out!'
• Acts 4:20 : 20 for we cannot but speak what we did see and hear.'
• Acts 9:39 : 39 And Peter having risen, went with them, whom having come, they brought into the upper chamber, and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing coats and garments, as many as Dorcas was making while she was with them.