Ecclesiastes 3:4

Good News Translation

He sets the time for sorrow and the time for joy, the time for mourning and the time for dancing,

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
a time to weep and a time to laugh;a time to mourn and a time to dance;

Hebrew Names Version
A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;

King James Version
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

English Standard Version
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

New American Standard Bible
A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.

New Century Version
There is a time to cry and a time to laugh. There is a time to be sad and a time to dance.

Amplified Bible
A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.

World English Bible
A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;

Geneva Bible (1587)
A time to weepe, and a time to laugh: a time to mourne, and a time to dance.

Legacy Standard Bible
A time to weep and a time to laugh;A time to mourn and a time to dance.

Berean Standard Bible
a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

Contemporary English Version
for crying and laughing, weeping and dancing,

Complete Jewish Bible
a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

Darby Translation
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Easy-to-Read Version
There is a time to cry and a time to laugh. There is a time to be sad and a time to dance with joy.

George Lamsa Translation
A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance;

Lexham English Bible
a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance;

Literal Translation
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
A tyme to wepe, and a tyme to laugh: A tyme to mourne, and a tyme to daunse:

American Standard Version
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Bible in Basic English
A time for weeping and a time for laughing; a time for sorrow and a time for dancing;

JPS Old Testament (1917)
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; {S}{S}{N}

King James Version (1611)
A time to weepe, and a time to laugh: a time to mourne, and a time to dance.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
A tyme to weepe, and a tyme to laugh: a tyme to mourne, & a tyme to daunce.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to lament, and a time to dance;

English Revised Version
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Tyme to wepe, and tyme to leiye; tyme to biweile, and tyme to daunse.

Update Bible Version
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Webster's Bible Translation
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

New English Translation
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.

New King James Version
A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;

New Living Translation
A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.

New Life Bible
There is a time to cry, and a time to laugh; a time to have sorrow, and a time to dance.

New Revised Standard
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
A time to weep, and a time to laugh, - A time to wail, and a time to dance for joy;

Douay-Rheims Bible
A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance.

Revised Standard Version
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Young's Literal Translation
A time to weep, And a time to laugh. A time to mourn, And a time to skip.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.

Contextual Overview

¹ Everything that happens in this world happens at the time God chooses. ² He sets the time for birth and the time for death, the time for planting and the time for pulling up, ³ the time for killing and the time for healing, the time for tearing down and the time for building. ⁴ He sets the time for sorrow and the time for joy, the time for mourning and the time for dancing, ⁵ the time for making love and the time for not making love, the time for kissing and the time for not kissing. ⁶ He sets the time for finding and the time for losing, the time for saving and the time for throwing away, ⁷ the time for tearing and the time for mending, the time for silence and the time for talk. ⁸ He sets the time for love and the time for hate, the time for war and the time for peace. ⁹ What do we gain from all our work? ¹⁰ I know the heavy burdens that God has laid on us.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

time to weep: Nehemiah 8:9-12, Nehemiah 9:1-38, Psalms 30:5, Psalms 126:1, Psalms 126:2, Psalms 126:5, Psalms 126:6, Isaiah 22:12, Isaiah 22:13, Matthew 9:15, Matthew 11:17, John 16:20-22, Romans 12:15, 2 Corinthians 7:10, James 4:9

a time to laugh: Genesis 21:6, Luke 1:13, Luke 1:14, Luke 1:58, Luke 6:21-25

to dance: Exodus 15:20, 2 Samuel 6:16

Reciprocal: Judges 21:21 - dance 1 Chronicles 15:29 - dancing Job 30:31 - General Psalms 30:11 - dancing Psalms 137:4 - How shall Proverbs 25:20 - so Ecclesiastes 7:14 - the day Song of Solomon 2:11 - General Ezekiel 21:10 - should Zechariah 7:3 - Should Luke 15:25 - he John 20:13 - why 1 Corinthians 7:30 - that weep

Cross-References

Genesis 3:13
The Lord God asked the woman, "Why did you do this?" She replied, "The snake tricked me into eating it."

Deuteronomy 29:19
Make sure that there is no one here today who hears these solemn demands and yet convinces himself that all will be well with him, even if he stubbornly goes his own way. That would destroy all of you, good and evil alike.

2 Kings 1:4
Tell the king that the Lord says, ‘You will not recover from your injuries; you will die!'" Elijah did as the Lord commanded,

2 Kings 1:6
They answered, "We were met by a man who told us to come back and tell you that the Lord says to you, ‘Why are you sending messengers to consult Baalzebub, the god of Ekron? Is it because you think there is no god in Israel? You will not recover from your injuries; you will die!'"

2 Kings 1:16
and said to him, "This is what the Lord says: ‘Because you sent messengers to consult Baalzebub, the god of Ekron—as if there were no god in Israel to consult—you will not get well; you will die!'"

2 Kings 8:10
Elisha answered, "The Lord has revealed to me that he will die; but go to him and tell him that he will recover."

Psalms 10:11
The wicked say to themselves, "God doesn't care! He has closed his eyes and will never see me!"

2 Corinthians 2:11
in order to keep Satan from getting the upper hand over us; for we know what his plans are.

2 Corinthians 11:3
I am afraid that your minds will be corrupted and that you will abandon your full and pure devotion to Christ—in the same way that Eve was deceived by the snake's clever lies.

1 Timothy 2:14
And it was not Adam who was deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and broke God's law.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

A time to weep, and a time to laugh,.... There is a time for these things, as it goes ill or well with persons, as to their health, estate, or friends; and as it goes ill or well with kingdoms and states. The Jews wept when they were in Babylon, and their mouths were filled with laughter when their captivity was returned,

Psalms 137:1; and as it goes ill or well with the church of Christ, when there are corruptions in doctrine and worship, a neglect of ordinances, declensions in faith and practice, few instances of conversion, and there are divisions and contentions, it is a time for the mourners in Zion to weep but when God creates Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy, or makes her an eternal excellency, and the praise of the whole earth, then it is a time to rejoice and be glad, Isaiah 61:3; and as it is, with believers, when Christ is withdrawn from them, it is a time to lament, but, when the bridegroom is with them, it is a time of joy; when it is a night of darkness and desertion, weeping endures, but when the morning comes, the day breaks, and the sun of righteousness arises, joy comes with it, Matthew 9:15

John 16:19. Now in the present state is the saints' weeping time; in the time to come they will laugh, or be filled with joy unspeakable and full of glory, Luke 6:21;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance; to mourn at funerals, and to dance at festivals; in a spiritual sense, God sometimes turns the mourning of his people into dancing, or joy, which that is expressive of; see Psalms 30:11.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ecclesiastes 3:4. A time to weep, - laugh, - mourn, - dance —

_________________ "When private griefs affect

The heart, our tears with decent sorrow flow;

Nor less becoming, when the public mourns,

To vent the deepest sighs. But all around

When things a smiling aspect bear, our souls

May well exult; 'tis then a time for joy."