Ecclesiastes 3:17 (YLT)

Passage

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.'

Nearby Context

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.'

Ecclesiastes 3:18 I said in my heart concerning the matter of the sons of man that God might cleanse them, so as to see that they themselves <FI>are<Fi> beasts.

Ecclesiastes 3:19 For an event <FI>is to<Fi> the sons of man, and an event <FI>is to<Fi> the beasts, even one event <FI>is<Fi> to them; as the death of this, so <FI>is<Fi> the death of that; and one spirit <FI>is<Fi> to all, and the advantage of man above the beast is nothing, for the whole <FI>is<Fi> vanity.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "heart", "righteous", "wicked", "doth", "judge", "time", and "matter". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "heart", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "And again I have seen under the..." into verse 18's "I said in my heart concerning the...", so "said" and "heart" 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 "said" and "heart" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.