Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 - A Time for Everything

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ 

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

¹ All things have their season, and in their times all things pass 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 destroy, and a time to build.  ⁴ A time to weep, and a time to laugh.  A time to mourn, and a time to dance.  ⁵ A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather.  A time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.  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 of love, and a time of hatred.  A time of war, and a time of peace. 

¹ τοῖς πᾶσιν χρόνος καὶ καιρὸς τῷ παντὶ πράγματι ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν ² καιρὸς τοῦ τεκεῖν καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν καιρὸς τοῦ φυτεῦσαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἐκτῖλαι πεφυτευμένον ³ καιρὸς τοῦ ἀποκτεῖναι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἰάσασθαι καιρὸς τοῦ καθελεῖν καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ οἰκοδομῆσαι ⁴ καιρὸς τοῦ κλαῦσαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ γελάσαι καιρὸς τοῦ κόψασθαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ὀρχήσασθαι ⁵ καιρὸς τοῦ βαλεῖν λίθους καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ συναγαγεῖν λίθους καιρὸς τοῦ περιλαβεῖν καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ μακρυνθῆναι ἀπὸ περιλήμψεως ⁶ καιρὸς τοῦ ζητῆσαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἀπολέσαι καιρὸς τοῦ φυλάξαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἐκβαλεῖν ⁷ καιρὸς τοῦ ῥῆξαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ῥάψαι καιρὸς τοῦ σιγᾶν καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ λαλεῖν ⁸ καιρὸς τοῦ φιλῆσαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ μισῆσαι καιρὸς πολέμου καὶ καιρὸς εἰρήνης 

¹ Omnia tempus habent, et suis spatiis transeunt universa sub cælo.  ² Tempus nascendi, et tempus moriendi; tempus plantandi, et tempus evellendi quod plantatum est.  ³ Tempus occidendi, et tempus sanandi; tempus destruendi, et tempus ædificandi.  ⁴ Tempus flendi, et tempus ridendi; tempus plangendi, et tempus saltandi.  ⁵ Tempus spargendi lapides, et tempus colligendi, tempus amplexandi, et tempus longe fieri ab amplexibus.  ⁶ Tempus acquirendi, et tempus perdendi; tempus custodiendi, et tempus abjiciendi.  ⁷ Tempus scindendi, et tempus consuendi; tempus tacendi, et tempus loquendi.  ⁸ Tempus dilectionis, et tempus odii; tempus belli, et tempus pacis. 

Ecclesiastes is a book of the Hebrew Bible.  It is variously transliterated as Kohelet, Qoheleth, Koheles, Koheleth, or Coheleth.  The English name derives from the Greek translation of the Hebrew title.  The author, or speaker, of the book is identified by the name or title “Qohelet”.  He introduces himself as “son of David, and king in Jerusalem.”  This does not necessarily make him Solomon (a.s.).  This should not all be taken literally.  Scholars of the Bible as a whole may explain this book in a very technical sense.  But to know this Book is to have knowledge of taswawwuf.  This book speaks of the rejection of the apparent since the world is a façade.  Whilst it seems that Qohelet endorses wisdom, what he is really speaking of is the Recognition of Realities. 

According to the Talmud, the point of Qohelet is to state that all is futile under the Sun.  One should ignore physical pleasures and put all one’s efforts towards that which is above the Sun - God.  The second to last verse sums this up: 

Ecclesiastes 12 13-14

¹³ Let us all hear together the conclusion of the discourse.  Fear God, and keep His Commandments: for this is all man: ¹⁴ And all things that are done, God will Bring into Judgment for every error, whether it be good or evil. 

¹³ τέλος λόγου τὸ πᾶν ἀκούεται τὸν θεὸν φοβοῦ καὶ τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ φύλασσε ὅτι τοῦτο πᾶς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ¹⁴ ὅτι σὺν πᾶν τὸ ποίημα ὁ θεὸς ἄξει ἐν κρίσει ἐν παντὶ παρεωραμένῳ ἐὰν ἀγαθὸν καὶ ἐὰν πονηρόν 

¹³ Finem loquendi pariter omnes audiamus. Deum time, et mandata ejus observa: hoc est enim omnis homo, ¹⁴ et cuncta quæ fiunt adducet Deus in judicium pro omni errato, sive bonum, sive malum illud sit. 

Interestingly, the root word of the book means “to gather”.  But there is khilaf as to whether it means “one who gathers” or the “one among the gathering.”  The participle is feminine but there is no dispute that the author is male.  The English title of the book originates from the Septuagint translation of Qohelet.  It is related to the Greek noun originally referring to a secular gathering, although later used primarily of religious gatherings, thus the New Testament meaning of “church”.  Greek translators used “ecclesia” to render “qahal” of the same Hebrew root. 

The entire Book of Ecclesiastes has been adapted into a song by Peter Seeger.  It is an anti-war song.  The song was made famous by The Byrds in the1960s.  It was on the soundtrack of Forrest Gump. 

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