King James Version

Ecclesiastes 3:17

I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

Study

Hebrew

Tap a word to see its meaning. Words run left to right in English reading order.

אָמַ֤רְתִּֽיamartisayאָמַרverb, qal, perfect, 1st person, common, singular — “say”, a completed actionH559to say (used with great latitude)answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [id…אֲנִי֙animineאֲנִיpronoun, personal, 1st person, common, singular — “mine”H589II, (as for) me, mine, myself, we, [idiom] which, [idiom] who.בְּלִבִּ֔יbelibiin comfortablyלֵבpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct, suffix, pronominal, 1st person, common, singular — “in comfortably”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3820the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything[phrase] care for, comfortably, consent, [idiom] considered, courag(-eous), friend(-ly), ((broken-), (hard-), (merry-), (stiff-), (stout-), double) heart(-ed), [idiom] heed, [idiom] I, kindly, midst, mind(-ed), [idiom] regard(-ed), [idiom]…אֶתetobject markerאֵתparticle, direct object marker — “object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).הַצַּדִּיק֙hatsadiqthe justצַדִּיקdefinite article, adjective, adjective, masculine, singular, absolute — “the just”, the ordinary formH6662justjust, lawful, righteous (man).וְאֶתveetand object markerאֵתconjunction, particle, direct object marker — “and object marker”H853properly, self (but generally used to point out more definitely the object of a verb or preposition, even or namely)(as such unrepresented in English).הָ֣רָשָׁ֔עharashathe guiltyרָשָׁעdefinite article, adjective, adjective, masculine, singular, absolute — “the guilty”, the ordinary formH7563morally wrong; concretely, an (actively) bad person[phrase] condemned, guilty, ungodly, wicked (man), that did wrong.יִשְׁפֹּ֖טyishpotjudgeשָׁפַטverb, qal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “judge”, an unfinished actionH8199to judge, i.e. pronounce sentence (for or against); by implication, to vindicate or punish; by extenssion, to govern; passively, to litigate (literally or figuratively)[phrase] avenge, [idiom] that condemn, contend, defend, execute (judgment), (be a) judge(-ment), [idiom] needs, plead, reason, rule.הָאֱלֹהִ֑יםhaelohimthe Godאֱלֹהִיםdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, plural, absolute — “the God”, the ordinary formH430gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlativeangels, [idiom] exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), [idiom] (very) great, judges, [idiom] mighty.כִּיkiassuredכִּיconjunction — “assured”H3588(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexedand, + (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-) as, assured(-ly), + but, certainly, doubtless, + else, even, + except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, + nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, + (al-) though, + til…עֵ֣תetwhenעֵתnoun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “when”, the ordinary formH6256time, especially (adverb with preposition) now, when, etc.[phrase] after, (al-) ways, [idiom] certain, [phrase] continually, [phrase] evening, long, (due) season, so (long) as, (even-, evening-, noon-) tide, (meal-), what) time, when.לְכָלlekhalto allכֹּלpreposition, noun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “to all”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3605properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).חֵ֔פֶץchefetsdesireחֵפֶץnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “desire”, the ordinary formH2656pleasure; hence (abstractly) desire; concretely, a valuable thing; hence (by extension) a matter (as something in mind)acceptable, delight(-some), desire, things desired, matter, pleasant(-ure), purpose, willingly.וְעַ֥לvealand aboveעַלconjunction, preposition — “and above”H5921above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applicationsabove, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, [idiom] as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, [idiom] both and, by (reason of), [idiom] had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of,…כָּלkalallכֹּלnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “all”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3605properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).הַֽמַּעֲשֶׂ֖הhamaasehthe businessמַעֲשֶׂהdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “the business”, the ordinary formH4639an action (good or bad); generally, a transaction; abstractly, activity; by implication, a product (specifically, a poem) or (generally) propertyact, art, [phrase] bakemeat, business, deed, do(-ing), labor, thing made, ware of making, occupation, thing offered, operation, possession, [idiom] well, (handy-, needle-, net-) work(ing, -manship), wrought.שָֽׁםshamthereשָׁםadverb — “there”H8033there (transferring to time) then; often thither, or thencein it, [phrase] thence, there (-in, [phrase] of, [phrase] out), [phrase] thither, [phrase] whither.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

I said in my heart: 'The righteous and the wicked God will judge; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.'

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

Young’s Literal Translation

I said in my heart, 'The righteous and the wicked doth God judge, for a time [is] to every matter and for every work there.'

World English Bible

I said in my heart, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.”

Darby Translation

I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

Douay-Rheims

And I said in my heart: God shall judge both the just and the wicked, and then shall be the time of every thing.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

I said in my heart: 'The righteous and the wicked God will judge; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.'

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

And I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the ungodly: for there is a time there for every action and for every work.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Καὶ εἶπα ἐγὼ ἐν καρδίᾳ μου, σὺν τὸν δίκαιον καὶ σὺν τὸν ἀσεβῆ κρινεῖ ὁ Θεός, ὅτι καιρὸς τῷ παντὶ πράγματι καὶ ἐπὶ παντὶ τῷ ποιήματι ἐκεῖ.