Ecclesiastes 3:5 (YLT)

Passage

A time to cast away stones, And a time to heap up stones. A time to embrace, And a time to be far from embracing.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 3:3 A time to slay, 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 skip.

Ecclesiastes 3:5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to heap up stones. A time to embrace, And a time to be far from embracing.

Ecclesiastes 3:6 A time to seek, And a time to destroy. A time to keep, And a time to cast away.

Ecclesiastes 3:7 A time to rend, And a time to sew. A time to be silent, And a time to speak.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "time", "cast", "away", "stones", and "heap". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "time" and "cast", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "A time to weep And a time..." into verse 6's "A time to seek And a time...", so "time" and "cast" 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 "cast" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.