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Read the Bible

King James Version

Ecclesiastes 3:4

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

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Dancing;   Laughter;   Thompson Chain Reference - Dancing;   The Topic Concordance - Time;   War/weapons;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Time;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Dance;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Garden;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Dancing;   Ecclesiastes, Book of;   Israel, History of;   Laugh;   Poetry;   Time, Meaning of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ecclesiastes;   Games;   Laughter;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Dancing;   Laughter;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Dance;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Ass;   Dance;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Games;   Laughter;   Providence;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Dancing;   Hillel;   Temurah, Midrash;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for September 27;  

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;
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;
Good News Translation
He sets the time for sorrow and the time for joy, the time for mourning and the time for dancing,
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 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: 2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; 4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; 5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; 6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; 7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; 8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. 9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? 10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

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
And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
Deuteronomy 29:19
And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:
2 Kings 1:4
Now therefore thus saith the Lord , Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed.
2 Kings 1:6
And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord , Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
2 Kings 1:16
And he said unto him, Thus saith the Lord , Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in Israel to enquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
2 Kings 8:10
And Elisha said unto him, Go, say unto him, Thou mayest certainly recover: howbeit the Lord hath shewed me that he shall surely die.
Psalms 10:11
He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.
2 Corinthians 2:11
Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
2 Corinthians 11:3
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
1 Timothy 2:14
And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

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."


 
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