Ecclesiastes 3:2 (WEB)

Passage

a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 3:1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under 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;

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "time", "born", "plant", "pluck", and "planted". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "time" and "born", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "For everything there is a season and..." into verse 3's "a time to kill and a time...", so "time" and "born" 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 "born" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.