Ecclesiastes 3:7

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Summary

Ecclesiastes 3:7

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

Time to rend

Time to keep

And a time to speak

Bible References

Time to rend

Now Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit; so he tore his garments.

Then David took hold of his clothes and tore them, and so also did all the men who were with him.

Then David said to Joab and to all the people who were with him, “Tear your clothes and gird on sackcloth and lament before Abner.” And King David walked behind the bier.

It came about when Ahab heard these words, that he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and fasted, and he lay in sackcloth and went about despondently.

When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man is sending word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? But consider now, and see how he is seeking a quarrel against me.”

When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes—now he was passing by on the wall—and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth beneath on his body.

Yet the king and all his servants who heard all these words were not afraid, nor did they rend their garments.

And rend your heart and not your garments.”
Now return to the Lord your God,
For He is gracious and compassionate,
Slow to anger, abounding in lovingkindness
And relenting of evil.

So Peter arose and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the upper room; and all the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them.

Time to keep

Then they sat down on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights with no one speaking a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great.

I was mute and silent,
I refrained even from good,
And my sorrow grew worse.

But they were silent and answered him not a word; for the king’s commandment was, “Do not answer him.”

Why are we sitting still?

Assemble yourselves, and let us go into the fortified cities

And let us perish there,
Because the Lord our God has doomed us
And given us poisoned water to drink,
For we have sinned against the Lord.

Let him sit alone and be silent
Since He has laid it on him.

Therefore at such a time the prudent person keeps silent, for it is an evil time.

The songs of the palace will turn to wailing in that day,” declares the Lord God. “Many will be the corpses; in every place they will cast them forth in silence.”

Do not trust in a neighbor;
Do not have confidence in a friend.
From her who lies in your bosom
Guard your lips.

And a time to speak

Then Judah approached him, and said, “Oh my lord, may your servant please speak a word in my lord’s ears, and

do not be angry with your servant; for you are equal to Pharaoh.

Then Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Do not let the king sin against his servant David, since he has not sinned against you, and since his deeds have been very beneficial to you.

She fell at his feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the blame. And please let your maidservant speak to you, and listen to the words of your maidservant.

Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, “Do not imagine that you in the king’s palace can escape any more than all the Jews.

for we have been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be killed and to be annihilated. Now if we had only been sold as slaves, men and women, I would have remained silent, for the trouble would not be commensurate with the annoyance to the king.”

Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were years older than he.

Deliver those who are being taken away to death,

And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back.

Open your mouth for the mute,

For the rights of all the unfortunate.

As soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen,

for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”