Ecclesiastes 3:3 (GNV)

Passage

A time to slay, and a time to heale: a time to breake downe, and a time to builde.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 3:1 To all things there is an appointed time, and a time to euery purpose vnder the heauen.

Ecclesiastes 3:2 A time to bee borne, and a time to die: a time to plant, and a time to plucke vp that which is planted.

Ecclesiastes 3:3 A time to slay, and a time to heale: a time to breake downe, and a time to builde.

Ecclesiastes 3:4 A time to weepe, and a time to laugh: a time to mourne, and a time to dance.

Ecclesiastes 3:5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones: a time to embrace, and a time to be farre from embracing.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "time", "slay", "heale", "breake", and "downe". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "time" and "slay", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "A time to bee borne and a..." into verse 4's "A time to weepe and a time...", so "time" and "slay" 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 "time" and "slay" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.