Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV)

Passage

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Ecclesiastes 3:2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

Ecclesiastes 3:3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "purpose", "season", "time", "under", and "heaven". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "purpose" and "season", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "A time to be born and a...", so "purpose" and "season" should be read forward into that movement. In Ecclesiastes context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

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