Ecclesiastes 3:4 (LSB)

Passage

A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 3:2 A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.

Ecclesiastes 3:3 A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up.

Ecclesiastes 3:4 A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.

Ecclesiastes 3:5 A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.

Ecclesiastes 3:6 A time to search and a time to lose; A time to keep and a time to throw away.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "time", "weep", "laugh", "mourn", and "dance". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "time" and "weep", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "A time to kill and a time..." into verse 5's "A time to throw stones and a...", so "time" and "weep" 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 "weep" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.