Ecclesiastes 3:15 (YLT)

Passage

What is that which hath been? already it is, and that which <FI>is<Fi> to be hath already been, and God requireth that which is pursued.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 3:13 yea, even every man who eateth and hath drunk and seen good by all his labour, it <FI>is<Fi> a gift of God.

Ecclesiastes 3:14 I have known that all that God doth is to the age, to it nothing is to be added, and from it nothing is to be withdrawn; and God hath wrought that they do fear before Him.

Ecclesiastes 3:15 What is that which hath been? already it is, and that which <FI>is<Fi> to be hath already been, and God requireth that which is pursued.

Ecclesiastes 3:16 And again, I have seen under the sun the place of judgment--there <FI>is<Fi> the wicked; and the place of righteousness--there <FI>is<Fi> the wicked.

Ecclesiastes 3:17 I said in my heart, `The righteous and the wicked doth God judge, for a time <FI>is<Fi> to every matter and for every work there.'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hath", "been", "already", "requireth", and "pursued". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hath" and "been", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "I have known that all that God..." into verse 16's "And again I have seen under the...", so "hath" and "been" 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 "hath" and "been" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.