Ecclesiastes 3:4 (WEB)

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 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;

Ecclesiastes 3:5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

Ecclesiastes 3:6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast 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 cast away stones and...", 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.