Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

King James Version (1611 Edition)

Ecclesiastes 3:5

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together: a time to imbrace, and a time to refraine from imbracing.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- The Topic Concordance - Time;   War/weapons;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Time;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Garden;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ecclesiastes, Book of;   Israel, History of;   Poetry;   Time, Meaning of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ecclesiastes;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Ass;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Embrace;   Providence;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Temurah, Midrash;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for September 25;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing;
Hebrew Names Version
A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones together; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
King James Version
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
English Standard Version
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
New American Standard Bible
A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
New Century Version
There is a time to throw away stones and a time to gather them. There is a time to hug and a time not to hug.
Amplified Bible
A time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing.
World English Bible
A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones together; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
Geneva Bible (1587)
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones: a time to embrace, and a time to be farre from embracing.
Legacy Standard Bible
A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
Berean Standard Bible
a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
Contemporary English Version
for throwing stones and gathering stones, embracing and parting.
Complete Jewish Bible
a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
Darby Translation
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
Easy-to-Read Version
There is a time to throw weapons down and a time to pick them up. There is a time to hug someone and a time to stop holding so tightly.
George Lamsa Translation
A time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
Good News Translation
the time for making love and the time for not making love, the time for kissing and the time for not kissing.
Lexham English Bible
a time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
Literal Translation
a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
A tyme to cast awaye stones, and a tyme to gather stones together: A tyme to enbrace, & a tyme to refrayne from enbracynge:
American Standard Version
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
Bible in Basic English
A time to take stones away and a time to get stones together; a time for kissing and a time to keep from kissing;
JPS Old Testament (1917)
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; {S}{S}{N}
Bishop's Bible (1568)
A tyme to cast away stones, and a tyme to gather stones together: A tyme to imbrace, and a tyme to refrayne from imbracyng.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
a time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to abstain from embracing;
English Revised Version
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Tyme to scatere stoonys, and tyme to gadere togidere; tyme to colle, and tyme to be fer fro collyngis.
Update Bible Version
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
Webster's Bible Translation
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
New English Translation
A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
New King James Version
A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
New Living Translation
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
New Life Bible
There is a time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to kiss, and a time to turn from kissing.
New Revised Standard
a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
A time to cast away stones, and a time to heap up stones, - A time to embrace, and a time to be far from loving embrace;
Douay-Rheims Bible
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather. A time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
Revised Standard Version
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
Young's Literal Translation
A time to cast away stones, And a time to heap up stones. A time to embrace, And a time to be far from embracing.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.

Contextual Overview

1 To euery thing there is a season, and a time to euery purpose vnder the heauen. 2 A time to be borne, and a time to die: a time to plant, and a time to pluck vp that which is planted. 3 A time to kill, and a time to heale: a time to breake downe, and a time to build vp. 4 A time to weepe, and a time to laugh: a time to mourne, and a time to dance. 5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together: a time to imbrace, and a time to refraine from imbracing. 6 A time to get, and a time to lose: a time to keepe, and a time to cast away. 7 A time to rent, and a time to sow: a time to keepe silence, and a time to speake. 8 A time to loue, and a time to hate: a time of warre, and a time of peace. 9 What profite hath hee that worketh, in that wherein he laboureth? 10 I haue seene the trauaile which God hath giuen to the sonnes of men, to be exercised in it.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

to cast: Joshua 4:3-9, Joshua 10:27, 2 Samuel 18:17, 2 Samuel 18:18, 2 Kings 3:25

a time to embrace: Exodus 19:15, 1 Samuel 21:4, 1 Samuel 21:5, Song of Solomon 2:6, Song of Solomon 2:7, Joel 2:16, 1 Corinthians 7:5

refrain from: Heb. be far from

Reciprocal: Genesis 31:46 - Gather

Cross-References

Genesis 2:17
But of the tree of the knowledge of good and euill, thou shalt not eate of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die.
Genesis 3:2
And the woman said vnto the serpent, Wee may eate of the fruite of the trees of the garden:
Genesis 3:3
But of the fruit of the tree, which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shal not eate of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
Genesis 3:6
And when the woman saw, that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she tooke of the fruit thereof, and did eate, and gaue also vnto her husband with her, and hee did eate.
Genesis 3:7
And the eyes of them both were opened, & they knew that they were naked, and they sewed figge leaues together, and made themselues aprons.
Genesis 3:10
And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden: and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid my selfe.
Genesis 3:13
And the LORD God said vnto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The Serpent beguiled me, and I did eate.
Genesis 3:14
And the LORD God said vnto the Serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed aboue all cattel, and aboue euery beast of the field: vpon thy belly shalt thou goe, and dust shalt thou eate, all the dayes of thy life.
Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmitie betweene thee and the woman, and betweene thy seed and her seed: it shal bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heele.
Genesis 3:22
And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of vs, to know good & euill. And now lest hee put foorth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eate and liue for euer:

Gill's Notes on the Bible

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together,.... To cast stones out of a field or vineyard where they are hurtful, and to gather them together to make walls and fences of, or build houses with; and may be understood both of throwing down buildings, as the temple of Jerusalem, so that not one stone was left upon another; of pouring out the stones of the sanctuary, and of gathering them again and laying them on one another; which was done when the servants of the Lord took pleasure in the stones of Zion, and favoured the dust thereof. Some understand this of precious stones, and of casting them away through luxury, wantonness, or contempt, and gathering them again: and it may be applied, as to the neglect of the Gentiles for a long time, and the gathering of those stones of which children were raised to Abraham; so of the casting away of the Jews for their rejection of the Messiah, and of the gathering of them again by conversion, when they shall be as the stones of a crown, lifted up as an ensign on his land, Zechariah 9:16;

a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing: or "to be far from" g it; it may not only design conjugal embraces h, but parents embracing their children, as Jacob did his; and one brother embracing another, as Esau Jacob, and one friend embracing another; all which is very proper and agreeable at times: but there are some seasons so very calamitous and distressing, in which persons are obliged to drop such fondnesses: it is true, in a spiritual sense, of the embraces of Christ and believers, which sometimes are, and sometimes are not, enjoyed, Proverbs 4:8.

g עת לרחק "tempus elongandi se", Pagninus, Montanus; "tempus longe fieri", V. L. h "Optatos dedit amplexus", Virgil. Aeneid. 8. v. 405.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Stones may be regarded either as materials for building, or as impediments to the fertility of land (see 2 Kings 3:19, 2 Kings 3:25; Isaiah 5:2).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ecclesiastes 3:5. A time to cast away stones, - to gather stones, - to embrace, - to refrain

"One while domestic cares abortive prove,

And then successful. Nature now invites

Connubial pleasures: but, when languid grown,

No less rejects."


 
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