Ecclesiastes 3:17

Complete Jewish Bible

I said to myself, "The righteous and the wicked God will judge, because there is a right time for every intention and for every action."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
I said to myself, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked, since there is a time for every activity and every work.”

Hebrew Names Version
I said in my heart, "God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work."

King James Version
I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

English Standard Version
I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.

New American Standard Bible
I said to myself, "God will judge the righteous and the wicked," for a time for every matter and for every deed is there.

New Century Version
I said to myself, God has planned a time for every thing and every action, so he will judge both good people and bad.

Amplified Bible
I said to myself, "God will judge both the righteous and the wicked," for there is a time [appointed] for every matter and for every deed.

World English Bible
I said in my heart, "God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work."

Geneva Bible (1587)
I thought in mine heart, God wil iudge the iust and the wicked: for time is there for euery purpose and for euery worke.

Legacy Standard Bible
I said in my heart, "God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man," for a time for every matter and for every work is there.

Berean Standard Bible
I said in my heart, "God will judge the righteous and the wicked, since there is a time for every activity and every deed."

Contemporary English Version
So I told myself that God has set a time and a place for everything. He will judge everyone, both the wicked and the good.

Darby Translation
I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

Easy-to-Read Version
So I said to myself, "God has planned a time for everything, and he has planned a time to judge everything people do. He will judge good people and bad people."

George Lamsa Translation
I said in my heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time for every purpose and for every work.

Good News Translation
I told myself, "God is going to judge the righteous and the evil alike, because every thing, every action, will happen at its own set time."

Lexham English Bible
So I said to myself, "God will surely judge the righteous and the wicked, for he has appointed a time of judgment for every deed and every work."

Literal Translation
I said in my heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every good purpose and for every work.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then thought I in my mynde: God shal separate the rightuous from the vngodly, & then shal be the tyme & iudgmet of all councels & workes.

American Standard Version
I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

Bible in Basic English
I said in my heart, God will be judge of the good and of the bad; because a time for every purpose and for every work has been fixed by him.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
I said in my heart: 'The righteous and the wicked God will judge; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.'

King James Version (1611)
I said in mine heart, God shall iudge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there, for euery purpose and for euery worke.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then thought I in my mynde, God shall separate the ryghteous from the vngodly: and then shalbe the tyme and iudgement of all counsayles & workes.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the ungodly: for there is a time there for every action and for every work.

English Revised Version
I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Y seide in myn herte, The Lord schal deme a iust man, and an vnfeithful man; and the tyme of ech thing schal be thanne.

Update Bible Version
I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

Webster's Bible Translation
I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked: for [there is] a time there for every purpose and for every work.

New English Translation
I thought to myself, "God will judge both the righteous and the wicked; for there is an appropriate time for every activity, and there is a time of judgment for every deed.

New King James Version
I said in my heart, "God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, For there is a time there for every purpose and for every work."

New Living Translation
I said to myself, "In due season God will judge everyone, both good and bad, for all their deeds."

New Life Bible
I said to myself, "God will judge both the man who is right and good, and the sinful man." For there is a time for everything to be done and a time for every work.

New Revised Standard
I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for he has appointed a time for every matter, and for every work.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Said, I, in my heart, Both the righteous and the lawless, will God judge, - for there will be a time for every pursuit, and concerning every work - there.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And I said in my heart: God shall judge both the just and the wicked, and then shall be the time of every thing.

Revised Standard Version
I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for he has appointed a time for every matter, and for every work.

Young's Literal Translation
I said in my heart, `The righteous and the wicked doth God judge, for a time [is] to every matter and for every work there.'

New American Standard Bible (1995)
I said to myself, "God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man," for a time for every matter and for every deed is there.

Contextual Overview

¹⁶ Another thing I observed under the sun: There, in the same place as justice, was wickedness; there, in the same place as righteousness, was wickedness. ¹⁷ I said to myself, "The righteous and the wicked God will judge, because there is a right time for every intention and for every action." ¹⁸ Concerning people, I said to myself, "God is testing them, so that they will see that by themselves they are just animals. ¹⁹ After all, the same things that happen to people happen to animals, the very same thing — just as the one dies, so does the other. Yes, their breath is the same; so that humans are no better than animals; since nothing matters, anyway. ²⁰ They all go to the same place; they all come from dust, and they all return to dust. ²¹ Who knows if the spirit of a human being goes upward and the spirit of an animal goes downward into the earth?" ²² So I concluded that there is nothing better for a person to do than take joy in his activities, that that is his allotted portion; for who can enable him to see what will happen after him?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

said: Ecclesiastes 1:16, Ecclesiastes 2:1

God: Ecclesiastes 12:14, Genesis 18:25, Psalms 98:9, Matthew 16:27, Matthew 25:31-46, John 5:22, John 5:26-29, Acts 17:31, Romans 2:5-9, 1 Corinthians 4:5, 2 Corinthians 5:10, 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10, Revelation 20:11-15

for: Ecclesiastes 3:1, Jeremiah 29:10, Jeremiah 29:11, Daniel 11:40, Daniel 12:4, Daniel 12:9, Daniel 12:11-13, Acts 1:7, 1 Thessalonians 5:1, 2 Peter 3:7, 2 Peter 3:8, Revelation 11:2, Revelation 11:3, Revelation 11:18, Revelation 17:12-17, Revelation 20:2, Revelation 20:7-9

Reciprocal: Job 24:1 - seeing Psalms 75:2 - receive the congregation Ecclesiastes 7:25 - the reason Ecclesiastes 8:6 - to every Ecclesiastes 9:11 - but Ecclesiastes 11:9 - know Ezekiel 18:30 - I will Zephaniah 3:5 - just Acts 24:25 - judgment Romans 2:16 - God

Cross-References

Genesis 3:2
The woman answered the serpent, "We may eat from the fruit of the trees of the garden,

Genesis 3:3
but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden God said, ‘You are neither to eat from it nor touch it, or you will die.'"

Genesis 3:5
because God knows that on the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Genesis 3:6
When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it had a pleasing appearance and that the tree was desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her; and he ate.

Genesis 3:7
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized that they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together to make themselves loincloths.

Genesis 3:9
Adonai , God, called to the man, "Where are you?"

Genesis 3:11
He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I ordered you not to eat?"

Genesis 3:13
Adonai , God, said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman answered, "The serpent tricked me, so I ate."

Genesis 3:14
Adonai , God, said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all livestock and wild animals. You will crawl on your belly and eat dust as long as you live.

Genesis 3:16
To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pain in childbirth. You will bring forth children in pain. Your desire will be toward your husband, but he will rule over you."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked,.... This he considered in his mind, and set it down for a certain truth, and which relieved him under the consideration of the sad perversion of justice; and made him easy under it, and willing to leave things to him that judgeth righteously, and wait his time when everything that was now wrong would be set right: he knew from reason, from tradition, and from the word of God, that there was a judgment to come, a general, righteous, and eternal one; that this judicial process would be carried on by God himself, who is holy, righteous, just, and true, omniscient, and omnipotent; and, being the Judge of all the earth, would do right; when he would vindicate the righteous, and clear them from all calumnies and charges; acquit and justify them, and condemn the wicked, pass a just sentence on them, and execute it;

for [there is] a time there for every purpose, and for every work; or "then", as Noldius; in the day of the great judgment, as the Targum adds; and which continues to paraphrase the words thus,

"for a time is appointed for every business, and for every work which they do in this world they shall be judged there;''

there is a time fixed, a day appointed, for the judgment of the world; though of that day and hour knows no man; yet, it is settled, and will certainly come, Acts 17:31; and when it is come, every purpose, counsel, and thought of men's hearts, will be made manifest, as well as every work, good or bad, open or secret, yea, every idle word, and men will be judged according to these; see 1 Corinthians 4:5

Matthew 12:36.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

That great anomaly in the moral government of this world, the seemingly unequal distribution of rewards and punishments, will be rectified by God, who has future times and events under His control Ecclesiastes 3:16-17. As for people, they are placed by God, who is their teacher, in a humble condition, even on a level with inferior animals, by death, that great instance of their subjection to vanity Ecclesiastes 3:18-19, which reduces to its original form all that was made of the dust of the ground Ecclesiastes 3:20. And though the destinies of man and beast are different, yet in our present lack of knowledge as to God’s future dealing with our spirits Ecclesiastes 3:21, man finds his portion (see the Ecclesiastes 2:10 note) in such labor and such joy as God assigns to him in his lifetime Ecclesiastes 3:22.

Ecclesiastes 3:16

I saw ... - Rather, I have seen (as in Ecclesiastes 3:10) under the sun the place etc. The place of judgment means the seat of the authorized judge. Compare “the place of the holy” Ecclesiastes 8:10.

Ecclesiastes 3:17

A time there - i. e., a time with God.

Ecclesiastes 3:18

literally, I said in my heart with regard to the sons of men, it is that God may prove them and show them that they are beasts, they themselves. “Showing” is the reading of the Septuagint and Syriac: the present Hebrew text reads “seeing.” The meaning is that the long delay of God’s judgment Ecclesiastes 3:16-17 is calculated to show people that the brevity of their life renders them incapable of following out and understanding His distributive justice.

Ecclesiastes 3:19

That which befalleth the sons of men - literally, the event (happenstance) of the sons of men, i. e., what comes upon them from outside, by virtue of the ordinance of God. See the Ecclesiastes 2:14 note. Death in particular Ecclesiastes 3:2, Ecclesiastes 3:11 is a part of the “work that God doeth.”

Ecclesiastes 3:21

The King James Version of this verse is the only rendering which the Hebrew text, as now pointed, allows. It is in accordance with the best Jewish and many modern interpreters. A slightly different pointing would be requisite to authorize the translation, “Who knows the spirit of the sons of man whether it goes above, and, the spirit of the beast whether it goes down below?” etc., which, though it seems neither necessary nor suitable, is sanctioned by the Septuagint and other versions and by some modern interpreters.

Who knoweth - This expression (used also in Ecclesiastes 2:19; Ecclesiastes 6:12) does not necessarily imply complete and absolute ignorance. In Psalms 90:11, it is applied to what is partially understood: compare similar forms of expression in Proverbs 31:10; Psalms 94:16; Isaiah 53:1. Moreover, it is evident from marginal references that Solomon did not doubt the future existence and destination of the soul. This verse can only be construed as a confession of much ignorance on the subject.

Ecclesiastes 3:22

What shall be after him - i. e., What shall become of the results of his work after he is dead. Compare Ecclesiastes 2:19; Ecclesiastes 6:12.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 17. For there is a time there for every purpose — Man has his time here below, and God shall have his time above. At his throne the judged shall be rejudged, and iniquity for ever close her mouth.