Ecclesiastes 3:7

Updated Bible Version

a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silent, and a time to speak;

Parallel Translations

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

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.

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

Literal Translation
a time to tear, and a time to sew together; 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.

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

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

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

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

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;

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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,

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

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.

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

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 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.

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

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

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

Revised Standard Version
a time to rend, and a time to sew; 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.

Contextual Overview

¹ For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under 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 seek, 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 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 profit has he that works in that wherein he labors? ¹⁰ I have seen the travail which God has given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.

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
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Genesis 3:5
for God knows that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as God, knowing good and evil.

Genesis 3:10
And he said, I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Genesis 3:11
And he said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded you that you should not eat?

Deuteronomy 28:34
so that you shall be insane for the sight of your eyes which you shall see.

2 Kings 6:20
And it came to pass, when they had come into Samaria, that Elisha said, Yahweh, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And Yahweh opened their eyes, and they saw; and, look, they were in the midst of Samaria.

Isaiah 28:20
For the bed is shorter than that a man can stretch himself on it; and the covering narrower than that he can wrap himself in it.

Isaiah 59:6
Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands.

Luke 16:23
And in Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and sees Abraham far off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

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."