Ecclesiastes 3:8
Ecclesiastes 3:8 in Multiple Translations
a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
A time for love and a time for hate; a time for war and a time for peace.
A time of loving, and a time of hating. A time of warfare, and a time of peace.
A time to loue, and a time to hate: a time of warre, and a time of peace.
A time to love, And a time to hate. A time of war, And a time of peace.
a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
A time of love, and a time of hatred. A time of war, and a time of peace.
There is a time when we should love things that people do, and there is a time when we should hate things that people do. There is a time for war, and there is a time for peace.
Berean Amplified Bible — Ecclesiastes 3:8
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Ecclesiastes 3:8 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
עֵ֤ת
לֶֽ/אֱהֹב֙
וְ/עֵ֣ת
לִ/שְׂנֹ֔א
עֵ֥ת
מִלְחָמָ֖ה
וְ/עֵ֥ת
שָׁלֽוֹם
עֵ֤ת
ʻêth
H6256
time
N-cs
לֶֽ/אֱהֹב֙
ʼâhab
H157
to love
Prep | V-Qal-Inf-a
וְ/עֵ֣ת
ʻêth
H6256
time
Conj | N-cs
לִ/שְׂנֹ֔א
sânêʼ
H8130
to hate
Prep | V-Qal-Inf-a
עֵ֥ת
ʻêth
H6256
time
N-cs
מִלְחָמָ֖ה
milchâmâh
H4421
battle
N-fs
וְ/עֵ֥ת
ʻêth
H6256
time
Conj | N-cs
שָׁלֽוֹם
shâlôwm
H7965
Peace
N-ms
Hebrew Word Study
Select any word above to explore its original meaning, root, and usage across Scripture.
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Hebrew Word Reference — Ecclesiastes 3:8
עֵ֤ת
ʻêth
H6256
"time"
N-cs
Eth means time, especially now or when, and can refer to an event, experience, or occasion. It is often used to describe a specific moment or period.
Definition: 1) time 1a) time (of an event) 1b) time (usual) 1c) experiences, fortunes 1d) occurrence, occasion
Usage: Occurs in 258 OT verses. KJV: [phrase] after, (al-) ways, [idiom] certain, [phrase] continually, [phrase] evening, long, (due) season, so (long) as, (even-, evening-, noon-) tide, (meal-), what) time, when. See also: Genesis 8:11; 2 Chronicles 35:17; Psalms 1:3.
לֶֽ/אֱהֹב֙
ʼâhab
H157
"to love"
Prep | V-Qal-Inf-a
To love means to have affection for someone or something, including family, romance, or God. It can also describe being a friend or having appetite for things like food or wisdom.
Definition: : lover 1) to love 1a) (Qal) 1a1) human love for another, includes family, and sexual 1a2) human appetite for objects such as food, drink, sleep, wisdom 1a3) human love for or to God 1a4) act of being a friend 1a4a) lover (participle) 1a4b) friend (participle) 1a5) God's love toward man 1a5a) to individual men 1a5b) to people Israel 1a5c) to righteousness 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) lovely (participle) 1b2) loveable (participle) 1c) (Piel) 1c1) friends 1c2) lovers (fig. of adulterers) 2) to like Also means: a.hav (אָהֵב ": friend" H0157H)
Usage: Occurs in 195 OT verses. KJV: (be-) love(-d, -ly, -r), like, friend. See also: Genesis 22:2; Psalms 116:1; Psalms 4:3.
וְ/עֵ֣ת
ʻêth
H6256
"time"
Conj | N-cs
Eth means time, especially now or when, and can refer to an event, experience, or occasion. It is often used to describe a specific moment or period.
Definition: 1) time 1a) time (of an event) 1b) time (usual) 1c) experiences, fortunes 1d) occurrence, occasion
Usage: Occurs in 258 OT verses. KJV: [phrase] after, (al-) ways, [idiom] certain, [phrase] continually, [phrase] evening, long, (due) season, so (long) as, (even-, evening-, noon-) tide, (meal-), what) time, when. See also: Genesis 8:11; 2 Chronicles 35:17; Psalms 1:3.
לִ/שְׂנֹ֔א
sânêʼ
H8130
"to hate"
Prep | V-Qal-Inf-a
To hate means to feel intense dislike or hostility, as seen in the actions of enemies or foes in the Bible. It can also describe God's hatred of sin.
Definition: 1) to hate, be hateful 1a) (Qal) to hate 1a1) of man 1a2) of God 1a3) hater, one hating, enemy (participle) (subst) 1b) (Niphal) to be hated 1c) (Piel) hater (participle) 1c1) of persons, nations, God, wisdom Aramaic equivalent: se.ne (שְׂנָא "to hate" H8131)
Usage: Occurs in 139 OT verses. KJV: enemy, foe, (be) hate(-ful, -r), odious, [idiom] utterly. See also: Genesis 24:60; Psalms 50:17; Psalms 5:6.
עֵ֥ת
ʻêth
H6256
"time"
N-cs
Eth means time, especially now or when, and can refer to an event, experience, or occasion. It is often used to describe a specific moment or period.
Definition: 1) time 1a) time (of an event) 1b) time (usual) 1c) experiences, fortunes 1d) occurrence, occasion
Usage: Occurs in 258 OT verses. KJV: [phrase] after, (al-) ways, [idiom] certain, [phrase] continually, [phrase] evening, long, (due) season, so (long) as, (even-, evening-, noon-) tide, (meal-), what) time, when. See also: Genesis 8:11; 2 Chronicles 35:17; Psalms 1:3.
מִלְחָמָ֖ה
milchâmâh
H4421
"battle"
N-fs
This word means battle or war, describing a fight or conflict. It is used in the Bible to talk about wars and battles, like the ones in the book of Joshua. The KJV translates it as battle or fight.
Definition: battle, war
Usage: Occurs in 308 OT verses. KJV: battle, fight(-ing), war(-rior). See also: Genesis 14:2; 1 Samuel 30:24; 2 Chronicles 13:14.
וְ/עֵ֥ת
ʻêth
H6256
"time"
Conj | N-cs
Eth means time, especially now or when, and can refer to an event, experience, or occasion. It is often used to describe a specific moment or period.
Definition: 1) time 1a) time (of an event) 1b) time (usual) 1c) experiences, fortunes 1d) occurrence, occasion
Usage: Occurs in 258 OT verses. KJV: [phrase] after, (al-) ways, [idiom] certain, [phrase] continually, [phrase] evening, long, (due) season, so (long) as, (even-, evening-, noon-) tide, (meal-), what) time, when. See also: Genesis 8:11; 2 Chronicles 35:17; Psalms 1:3.
שָׁלֽוֹם
shâlôwm
H7965
"Peace"
N-ms
This Hebrew word for peace, shalom, means completeness, wellness, and friendship, and is often used to describe God's relationship with humanity, as seen in the covenant with the Israelites. It encompasses physical and spiritual health, prosperity, and harmony.
Definition: This name means completeness, peace Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)
Usage: Occurs in 209 OT verses. KJV: [idiom] do, familiar, [idiom] fare, favour, [phrase] friend, [idiom] great, (good) health, ([idiom] perfect, such as be at) peace(-able, -ably), prosper(-ity, -ous), rest, safe(-ty), salute, welfare, ([idiom] all is, be) well, [idiom] wholly. See also: Genesis 15:15; Esther 2:11; Psalms 4:9.
Study Notes — Ecclesiastes 3:8
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Ecclesiastes 3:8 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Ecclesiastes 3:8
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ecclesiastes 3:8
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 3:8
- Trapp's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 3:8
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 3:8
- Cambridge Bible on Ecclesiastes 3:8
- Whedon's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 3:8
- Sermons on Ecclesiastes 3:8
Context — To Everything There Is a Season
6a time to search and a time to count as lost, a time to keep and a time to discard,
7a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
9What does the worker gain from his toil? 10I have seen the burden that God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them.Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ephesians 5:25 | Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her |
| 2 | Ephesians 5:28–29 | In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. Indeed, no one ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church. |
| 3 | Luke 14:26 | “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters—yes, even his own life—he cannot be My disciple. |
| 4 | 1 Kings 5:4 | But now the LORD my God has given me rest on every side, and there is no adversary or crisis. |
| 5 | Psalms 139:21 | Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD, and detest those who rise against You? |
| 6 | 2 Chronicles 19:2 | Jehu son of Hanani the seer went out to confront him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Because of this, the wrath of the LORD is upon you. |
| 7 | Titus 2:4 | In this way they can train the young women to love their husbands and children, |
| 8 | Ephesians 3:19 | of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. |
| 9 | Joshua 8:1–29 | Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. See, I have delivered into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land. And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set up an ambush behind the city.” So Joshua and the whole army set out to attack Ai. Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out at night with these orders: “Pay attention. You are to lie in ambush behind the city, not too far from it. All of you must be ready. Then I and all the troops with me will advance on the city. When they come out against us as they did the first time, we will flee from them. They will pursue us until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, ‘The Israelites are running away from us as they did before.’ So as we flee from them, you are to rise from the ambush and seize the city, for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand. And when you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do as the LORD has commanded! See, I have given you orders.” So Joshua sent them out, and they went to the place of ambush and lay in wait between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. But Joshua spent that night among the people. Joshua got up early the next morning and mobilized his men, and he and the elders of Israel marched before them up to Ai. Then all the troops who were with him marched up and approached the city. They arrived in front of Ai and camped to the north of it, with the valley between them and the city. Now Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set up an ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city. So the forces were stationed with the main camp to the north of the city and the rear guard to the west of the city. And that night Joshua went into the valley. When the king of Ai saw the Israelites, he hurried out early in the morning with the men of the city to engage them in battle at an appointed place overlooking the Arabah. But he did not know that an ambush had been set up against him behind the city. Joshua and all Israel let themselves be beaten back before them, and they fled toward the wilderness. Then all the men of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they followed Joshua and were drawn away from the city. Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel, leaving the city wide open while they pursued Israel. Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Hold out your battle lance toward Ai, for into your hand I will deliver the city.” So Joshua held out his battle lance toward Ai, and as soon as he did so, the men in ambush rose quickly from their position. They rushed forward, entered the city, captured it, and immediately set it on fire. When the men of Ai turned and looked back, the smoke of the city was rising into the sky. They could not escape in any direction, and the troops who had fled to the wilderness now became the pursuers. When Joshua and all Israel saw that the men in ambush had captured the city and that smoke was rising from it, they turned around and struck down the men of Ai. Meanwhile, those in the ambush came out of the city against them, and the men of Ai were trapped between the Israelite forces on both sides. So Israel struck them down until no survivor or fugitive remained. But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua. When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai who had pursued them into the field and wilderness, and when every last one of them had fallen by the sword, all the Israelites returned to Ai and put it to the sword as well. A total of twelve thousand men and women fell that day—all the people of Ai. Joshua did not draw back the hand that held his battle lance until he had devoted to destruction all who lived in Ai. Israel took for themselves only the cattle and plunder of that city, as the LORD had commanded Joshua. So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolation to this day. He hung the king of Ai on a tree until evening, and at sunset Joshua commanded that they take down the body from the tree and throw it down at the entrance of the city gate. And over it they raised a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day. |
| 10 | 2 Samuel 10:6–19 | When the Ammonites realized that they had become a stench to David, they hired twenty thousand Aramean foot soldiers from Beth-rehob and Zoba, as well as a thousand men from the king of Maacah and twelve thousand men from Tob. On hearing this, David sent Joab and the entire army of mighty men. The Ammonites marched out and arrayed themselves for battle at the entrance of the city gate, while the Arameans of Zobah and Rehob and the men of Tob and Maacah were by themselves in the open country. When Joab saw the battle lines before him and behind him, he selected some of the best men of Israel and arrayed them against the Arameans. And he placed the rest of the forces under the command of his brother Abishai, who arrayed them against the Ammonites. “If the Arameans are too strong for me,” said Joab, “then you will come to my rescue. And if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to your rescue. Be strong and let us fight bravely for our people and for the cities of our God. May the LORD do what is good in His sight.” So Joab and his troops advanced to fight the Arameans, who fled before him. When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, they too fled before Abishai, and they entered the city. So Joab returned from fighting against the Ammonites and came to Jerusalem. When the Arameans saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they regrouped. Hadadezer sent messengers to bring more Arameans from beyond the Euphrates, and they came to Helam with Shobach the commander of Hadadezer’s army leading them. When this was reported to David, he gathered all Israel, crossed the Jordan, and went to Helam. Then the Arameans arrayed themselves against David and fought against him. But the Arameans fled before Israel, and David killed seven hundred charioteers and forty thousand foot soldiers. He also struck down Shobach the commander of their army, who died there. When all the kings who were subject to Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they made peace with Israel and became subject to them. So the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore. |
Ecclesiastes 3:8 Summary
This verse is telling us that there are different seasons in life, and sometimes we need to take a stand against what's wrong, while other times we need to show love and kindness. It's like what it says in Romans 12:14-21, where we're called to bless those who persecute us, but also to stand against evil. We need to seek God's wisdom to know when it's time to do what, and trust that He will guide us. By following God's lead, we can bring about peace and harmony in our lives and in the world around us, just like it says in Psalm 34:14.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to have a time to love and a time to hate?
This verse is not promoting hatred, but rather acknowledging that there are seasons in life where we must stand against evil or injustice, as seen in Psalm 97:10, while also loving and showing kindness to others, as seen in Matthew 22:37-40.
Is war ever justified according to the Bible?
The Bible teaches that war is sometimes necessary, as seen in Exodus 17:8-16, but it should always be a last resort and done with a heavy heart, as seen in Matthew 5:38-42, and with the goal of bringing about peace and justice.
How can we know when it's time for peace and when it's time for war?
We can seek wisdom from God through prayer and His Word, as seen in James 1:5, and look for guidance from spiritual leaders and the community of believers, as seen in Acts 13:1-3.
What is the ultimate goal of having a time for war and a time for peace?
The ultimate goal is to bring about God's kingdom and will on earth, as seen in Matthew 6:10, where God's people can live in harmony and peace, as seen in Isaiah 2:4 and Micah 4:3.
Reflection Questions
- What are some areas in my life where I need to learn to love and show kindness, and how can I start doing that today?
- Are there any relationships in my life where I need to take a stand against injustice or evil, and how can I do that in a way that honors God?
- What are some ways I can promote peace and reconciliation in my community, and how can I be a peacemaker, as seen in Matthew 5:9?
- How can I balance the need to stand against evil with the need to love and show compassion to those who may be caught up in it, as seen in Luke 6:27-36?
Gill's Exposition on Ecclesiastes 3:8
A time to love, and a time to hate,.... For one to love his friend, and to hate a man, a sinner, as the Targum; to love a friend while he continues such, and hate him, or less love him, when he
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Ecclesiastes 3:8
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 3:8
A time to love; when God will stir up the affection of love, or give occasion for the exercise or discovery of it to others.
Trapp's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 3:8
Ecclesiastes 3:8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.Ver. 8. A time to love, and a time to hate.] Yet I like not his counsel that said, Ama tanquam osurus, odi tanquam amaturus, Let a man choose whom he may love, and then love whom he hath chosen. "Let love be without dissimulation; abhor the evil, cleave to the good." Hate we may, but then it must be, non virum, sed vitium, not the man, but his evil qualities; whereof also we must seek to bereave him, that he may be totus desiderabilis, "altogether lovely." A time of war, and a time of peace.] Time, saith an interpreter, is a circle; and the Preacher shutteth up this passage of time in a circle. For having begun with "a time to be born," and "a time to die," he endeth with "a time of war," which is a time of dying, and with "a time of peace," which is a time wherein people, by bringing forth, are multiplied. Cicero De Amicit.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 3:8
Verse 8. A time to love, - hate, - of war, - of peace.] "Love turns to hatred; interest or caprice Dissolves the firmest knot by friendship tied. O'er rival nations, with revenge inflamed, Or lust of power, fell Discord shakes awhile Her baleful torch: now smiling Peace returns. The above paraphrase on the verses cited contains a general view of the principal occurrences of time, in reference to the human being, from his cradle to his grave, through all the operations of life.
Cambridge Bible on Ecclesiastes 3:8
8. A time to love, and a time, to hate] Greek thought again supplies us with a parallel, ἡμεῖςδὲπῶςοὐγνωσόμεσθασωφρονεῖν;ἐγὼδʼ ?, ἐπίσταμαιγὰρἀρτίωςὅτιὅτʼ ? ἐχθρὸςἡμῖνἐςτοσόνδʼ ? ἐχθαρτέος,ὡςκαὶφιλήσωναὖθις, ἔςτετὸνφίλοντοσαῦθʼ ? ὑπουργῶνὠφελεῖνβουλήσομαι,ὡςαἰὲνοὑμενοῦντα.“Shall not we too learnOur lesson of true wisdom? I indeedHave learnt but now that we should hate a foeOnly so far as one that yet may love,And to a friend just so much help I’ll giveAs unto one that will not always stay.”Soph. Aias, 680–686. a time of war, and a time of peace] The change in the Hebrew, as in the English, from verbs in the infinitive to substantives is probably intended to emphasize the completion of the list. The words are of course closely connected with the “love” and “hate” of the preceding clause, but differ in referring to the wider range of national relations. Here also the wisdom of a king or statesman lies in discerning the opportuneness of war or peace, in seeing when the maxim “si vis pacem para bellum” is applicable or inapplicable. It may be well to repeat here what was said at the outset in reference to this list of times and seasons, that the idea of a Necessity, Fate, Predestination, which many interpreters, bent on finding traces of a Stoic fatalism, have read into the teaching of the section, is really foreign to the writer’s thoughts. That which he insists on is the thought that the circumstances and events of life form part of a Divine Order, are not things that come at random, and that wisdom, and therefore such a measure of happiness as is attainable, lies in adapting ourselves to the order and accepting the guidance of events in great things and small, while shame and confusion come from resisting it. The lesson is in fact identical with one very familiar to us at once in the commonest of all proverbs, “Take time by the forelock;” “Time and tide wait for no man,” and in a loftier strain, “There is a tide in the affairs of menWhich, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;Omitted, all the remnant of their livesIs bound in shallows and in miseries.”Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, iv. 3. It is well to remember such counsels of prudence.
It is well also to remember that a yet higher wisdom bids us in the highest work “to be instant, in season, out of season” (εὐκαίρως, ἀκαίρως, 2 Timothy 4:2).
Whedon's Commentary on Ecclesiastes 3:8
8. To love… to hate — Even the movements of human passion are recognised as subject to the inevitable order. Men now “love” and now “hate” each other.
Sermons on Ecclesiastes 3:8
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
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From the Departure of the Jews From Babylon to Fadus the Roman Procurator by Flavius Josephus | Josephus recounts the tumultuous period following the assassination of Emperor Caius, where the senators deliberated on restoring democracy while the soldiers favored preserving th |
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Walk in Spirit - Cross and Soul Life by Watchman Nee | In this sermon, the preacher discusses the purpose of God in creation, which was to have a race of men who could commune with Him through the gift of the spirit. This race was mean |
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Four Loves by C.S. Lewis | C.S. Lewis explores the concept of love through the lens of the four Greek words: Storge, which represents familial affection; Philia, the bond of friendship; Eros, the romantic lo |
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If Any Man Be in Christ - Part 4 (Cd Quality) by Leonard Ravenhill | In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of dedicating our bodies to the Lord. He refers to Psalm 59, which describes the body as an instrument with ten strings, repr |
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Authority and God's Word - Part 2 by Derek Prince | This sermon delves into the profound nature of God's Word as described in Hebrews 4:12, emphasizing its living and powerful essence that penetrates the deepest parts of our being. |
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Husbands Love Your Wifes! by Keith Daniel | Keith Daniel emphasizes the biblical command for husbands to love their wives, drawing from Matthew 19:5 and Ephesians 5:25. He highlights the importance of 'cleaving' to one's spo |
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He Lives in Me by Carter Conlon | In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of having a testimony of what Jesus is doing in our lives. He encourages the congregation to not underestimate the power of t |