Ecclesiastes 3:7

The NET Bible®

A time to rip, and a time to sew; a time to keep silent, and a time to speak.

Parallel Translations

New Living Translation
A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak.

Update Bible Version
a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silent, and a time to speak;

New Century Version
There is a time to tear apart and a time to sew together. There is a time to be silent and a time to speak.

Webster's Bible Translation
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

World English Bible
A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;

Amplified Bible
A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to keep silent and a time to speak.

English Standard Version
a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Tyme to kitte, and tyme to sewe togidere; tyme to be stille, and tyme to speke.

English Revised Version
a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

Berean Standard Bible
a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,

Contemporary English Version
for tearing and sewing, listening and speaking.

American Standard Version
a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

Bible in Basic English
A time for undoing and a time for stitching; a time for keeping quiet and a time for talk;

Complete Jewish Bible
a time to tear and a time to sew, a time to keep silent and a time to speak,

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

Easy-to-Read Version
There is a time to tear cloth and a time to sew it. There is a time to be silent and a time to speak.

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

King James Version (1611)
A time to rent, and a time to sow: a time to keepe silence, and a time to speake.

New Life Bible
There is a time to tear apart, and a time to sew together; a time to be quiet, and a time to speak.

New Revised Standard
a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

Geneva Bible (1587)
A time to rent, and a time to sowe: a time to keepe silence, and a time to speake.

George Lamsa Translation
A time to rend and a time to sew; a time to keep silent and a time to speak;

Good News Translation
the time for tearing and the time for mending, the time for silence and the time for talk.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
A time to rend, and a time to sew, - A time to be silent, and a time to speak;

Douay-Rheims Bible
A time to rend, and a time to sew. A time to keep silence, and a time to speak.

Revised Standard Version
a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
A tyme to cut in peeces, and a tyme to sowe together: A tyme to kepe scilence, and a tyme to speake.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak;

Christian Standard Bible®
a time to tear and a time to sew;a time to be silent and a time to speak;

Hebrew Names Version
A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;

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

Lexham English Bible
a time to tear and a time to sew; a time to be silent and a time to speak;

Literal Translation
a time to tear, and a time to sew together; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

Young's Literal Translation
A time to rend, And a time to sew. A time to be silent, And a time to speak.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
A tyme to cutt in peces, and a tyme to sowe together: A tyme to kepe sylece, and a tyme to speake:

New American Standard Bible
A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak.

New King James Version
A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;

New American Standard Bible (1995)
A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak.

Legacy Standard Bible
A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;A time to be silent and a time to speak.

Contextual Overview

¹ For everything there is an appointed time, and an appropriate time for every activity on earth: ² A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot what was 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 throw away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; ⁶ A time to search, and a time to give something up as lost; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; ⁷ A time to rip, and a time to sew; a time to keep silent, and a time to speak. ⁸ A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. ⁹ What benefit can a worker gain from his toil? ¹⁰ I have observed the burden that God has given to people to keep them occupied.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

time to rend: Genesis 37:29, Genesis 37:34, 2 Samuel 1:11, 2 Samuel 3:31, 1 Kings 21:27, 2 Kings 5:7, 2 Kings 6:30, Jeremiah 36:24, Joel 2:13, Acts 9:39

time to keep: Job 2:13, Psalms 39:2, Isaiah 36:21, Jeremiah 8:14, Lamentations 3:28, Amos 5:13, Amos 8:3, Micah 7:5

and a time to speak: Genesis 44:18, Genesis 44:34, 1 Samuel 19:4, 1 Samuel 19:5, 1 Samuel 25:24-44, Esther 4:13, Esther 4:14, Esther 7:4, Job 32:4 - Job 37:24, Proverbs 24:11, Proverbs 24:12, Proverbs 31:8, Proverbs 31:9, Luke 19:37-40, Acts 4:20

Reciprocal: Genesis 2:7 - dust 2 Kings 2:5 - I know it Nehemiah 2:12 - neither Luke 9:36 - And they John 8:6 - as though

Cross-References

Genesis 2:25
The man and his wife were both naked, but they were not ashamed.

Genesis 3:5
for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open and you will be like divine beings who know good and evil."

Genesis 3:10
The man replied, "I heard you moving about in the orchard, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid."

Genesis 3:11
And the Lord God said, "Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"

Deuteronomy 28:34
You will go insane from seeing all this.

2 Kings 6:20
When they had entered Samaria, Elisha said, "O Lord , open their eyes, so they can see." The Lord opened their eyes and they saw that they were in the middle of Samaria.

Isaiah 28:20
For the bed is too short to stretch out on, and the blanket is too narrow to wrap around oneself.

Isaiah 59:6
Their webs cannot be used for clothing; they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their deeds are sinful; they commit violent crimes.

Luke 16:23
And in hell, as he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far off with Lazarus at his side.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

A time to rend, and a time to sew,.... To rend garments, in case of blasphemy, and in times of mourning and fasting, and then to sew them up when they are over; see Isaiah 37:1; This the Jews apply to the rending of the ten tribes from Rehoboam, signified by the rending of Jeroboam's garment, 1 Kings 11:30; the sewing up or uniting of which is foretold, Ezekiel 37:22. Some interpret it of the rending of the Jewish church state, signified by the rending of the vail, at the death of Christ; and of the constituting the Gospel church state among the Gentiles;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak k; when it is an evil time, a time of calamity in a nation, it is not a time to be loquacious and talkative, especially in a vain and ludicrous way, Amos 5:13; or when a particular friend or relation is in distress, as in the case of Job and his friends, Job 2:13; or when in the presence of wicked men, who make a jest of everything serious and religious, Psalms 39:1; and so when under afflictive dispensations of Providence, it is a time to be still and dumb, and not open the mouth in a murmuring and complaining way, Leviticus 10:3. And, on the other hand, there is a time to speak, either publicly, of the truths of the Gospel, in the ministry of it, and in vindication of them; or privately, of Christian experience: there is a time when an open profession should be made of Christ, his word and ordinances, and when believers should speak to God in prayer and praise; which, should they not, the stones in the wall would cry out.

k ωρη μεν πολεων μυθων, ωρη δε και υπνου, Homer. Odyss. 11. v. 378.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Rend - i. e., Tear garments in sign of mourning or anger. See 2 Samuel 1:2, 2 Samuel 1:11 ff.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ecclesiastes 3:7. A time to rend, - sew, - keep silence, - speak —

_______________ "Intestine broils

And factions rend a state: at length the breach

Is heal'd, and rest ensues. Wisdom restrains

The tongue, when words are vain: but now,

'Tis time to speak, and silence would be criminal."