Ecclesiastes 3:11 (KJV)

Passage

He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 3:9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

Ecclesiastes 3:10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

Ecclesiastes 3:12 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.

Ecclesiastes 3:13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "world", "hath", "beautiful", "time", "heart", "find", and "maketh". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "world" and "hath", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "I have seen the travail which God..." into verse 12's "I know that there is no good...", so "world" and "hath" belong inside that flow. In Ecclesiastes context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "world" and "hath" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.