Ecclesiastes 3:7

Contemporary English Version

for tearing and sewing, listening and speaking.

Parallel Translations

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;

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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;

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:

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;

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.

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;

English Revised Version
a time to rend, 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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

Contextual Overview

¹ Everything on earth has its own time and its own season. ² There is a time for birth and death, planting and reaping, ³ for killing and healing, destroying and building, ⁴ for crying and laughing, weeping and dancing, ⁵ for throwing stones and gathering stones, embracing and parting. ⁶ There is a time for finding and losing, keeping and giving, ⁷ for tearing and sewing, listening and speaking. ⁸ There is also a time for love and hate, for war and peace. ⁹ What do we gain by all of our hard work? ¹⁰ I have seen what difficult things God demands of us.

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

Genesis 3:5
"God understands what will happen on the day you eat fruit from that tree. You will see what you have done, and you will know the difference between right and wrong, just as God does."

Genesis 3:10
The man answered, "I was naked, and when I heard you walking through the garden, I was frightened and hid!"

Genesis 3:11
"How did you know you were naked?" God asked. "Did you eat any fruit from that tree in the middle of the garden?"

Deuteronomy 28:34
What you see will be so horrible that you will go insane,

2 Kings 6:20
When all the soldiers were inside the city, Elisha prayed, " Lord , now let them see again." The Lord let them see that they were standing in the middle of Samaria.

Isaiah 28:20
Your bed is too short, your blanket too skimpy.

Isaiah 59:6
but you can't make clothes with those webs or hide behind them. You're sinful and brutal.

Luke 16:23
He went to hell and was suffering terribly. When he looked up and saw Abraham far off and 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."