a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
English Standard Version (ESV)
All verses
Ecclesiastes 3:2
What does Ecclesiastes 3:2 mean?
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Ecclesiastes 3:2
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The verse highlights that both planting and uprooting are natural parts of a cycle, just like birth and death. This isn't just about farming; it points to how God orchestrates the rise and fall of things, even nations or personal endeavors, to make way for what's next. It’s a profound reminder that completion and new beginnings are divinely appointed.
a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Teacher is starting a profound list of life's dualities, a poetic exploration of how everything under the sun happens in its proper season. He moves from the ultimate bookends of existence – birth and death – to the cycles of nature and human endeavor, like planting and harvesting. This isn't about random chance, but about an divinely appointed rhythm that governs all things, a reality that often feels beyond our control and understanding.
Life's biggest moments – birth and death – feel so immense, yet the Teacher says they're part of a divine schedule. What does that mean for us?
The Teacher, Koheleth, reminds us that everything, even the most profound events of life and death, operates within God's sovereign timing.
Divine Appointment
It's not just random chance; there's a 'time to be born, and a time to die.' This isn't about avoiding death or prolonging life unnaturally, but acknowledging that God has set boundaries and seasons for our existence. As the commentary notes, this time is 'fixed by God.'
Cycles of Growth and Harvest
This principle extends to our efforts and endeavors. 'A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted' speaks to the natural cycles of work, growth, and completion. Just as a farmer knows when to sow and when to harvest, we experience seasons for starting new things and seasons for bringing them to a close or reaping the results. These cycles are not ours to control, but to discern and navigate.
Life can feel chaotic, with beginnings and endings happening all around us. The Teacher offers a framework for understanding this flux.
Ecclesiastes presents a stark, yet honest, look at the human condition. Verse 2, and the verses that follow, lay out a series of contrasting pairs that paint a picture of life's inherent changes and complexities.
A World of Dualities
Ask a follow-up
'A time to be born, and a time to die' isn't just a biological observation; it's a theological one. It sets the stage for understanding that life is a journey with a definitive end, and that end is also a beginning for something else.
The Farmer's Parallel
The comparison to planting and uprooting further illustrates this rhythm. It speaks to the natural order of things – the seasons of effort, growth, fruitfulness, and eventual decay or completion. This isn't a call to despair, but an invitation to accept the natural flow of life and work. The commentary suggests this can even apply to 'nations' and their 'rise and fall,' showing the sweeping scope of these divine seasons.
Understand the original words
yalad · Hebrew Verb
The act of bringing forth life; in Scripture, it is recognized as a divine gift and a sovereign act of God’s creation.
muth · Hebrew Verb
The cessation of physical life, viewed as the final earthly appointment for humanity due to the fall, yet subject to God's authority.
nata' · Hebrew Verb
To sow or establish, used both literally for agriculture and metaphorically for founding, initiating, or establishing a project or legacy.
aqar · Hebrew Verb
To uproot or tear out; symbolically represents the ending, dismantling, or removal of something previously established.
This passage directly parallels the verse by mentioning that life's duration is set by God, reinforcing the idea of a fixed 'time to be born, and a time to die.'
Jeremiah 1:10This verse speaks of God appointing Jeremiah to 'uproot and tear down,' 'destroy and overthrow,' 'build and plant,' mirroring the 'plant' and 'pluck up' imagery in Ecclesiastes 3:2 with a divine, purposeful application.
Luke 8:5-8Jesus' parable of the sower illustrates different outcomes for seeds planted, akin to how there's a 'time to plant' and a 'time to pluck up' based on reception and eventual fruitfulness, or lack thereof.
John 7:30This verse states that Jesus' 'hour had not yet come' when people tried to seize him, highlighting the divine appointment of specific times for events, including life and death, as mentioned in Ecclesiastes.
Hebrews 9:27The author of Hebrews directly quotes and reflects on the certainty of death for all humanity ('It is appointed unto men once to die'), underscoring the profound truth presented in Ecclesiastes 3:2.
pooleEcclesiastes 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;"
A time to die; a certain period unknown to man, but fixed by God, in which a man must unavoidably die; of which see Job 14:5 John 13:1 . A time to plant; wherein God inclines a man’s heart to planting.
clarkeEcclesiastes 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;"
A time to be born, and a time to die - plant - "As in its mother's womb the embryo lies A space determined; to full growth arrived, From its dark prison bursts, and sees the light; So is the period fix'd when man shall drop Into the grave - A time there is to plant, And sow; another time to pluck and reap. Even nations have their destined rise and fall: Awhile they thrive; an…
The verse highlights that both planting and uprooting are natural parts of a cycle, just like birth and death. This isn't just about farming; it points to how God orchestrates the rise and fall of things, even nations or personal endeavors, to make way for what's next. It’s a profound reminder that completion and new beginnings are divinely appointed.
The Teacher is starting a profound list of life's dualities, a poetic exploration of how everything under the sun happens in its proper season. He moves from the ultimate bookends of existence – birth and death – to the cycles of nature and human endeavor, like planting and harvesting. This isn't about random chance, but about an divinely appointed rhythm that governs all things, a reality that often feels beyond our control and understanding.
The Teacher is starting a profound list of life's dualities, a poetic exploration of how everything under the sun happens in its proper season. He moves from the ultimate bookends of existence – birth and death – to the cycles of nature and human endeavor, like planting and harvesting. This isn't about random chance, but about an divinely appointed rhythm that governs all things, a reality that often feels beyond our control and understanding.
"a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;" — The verse highlights that both planting and uprooting are natural parts of a cycle, just like birth and death. This isn't just about farming; it points to how God orchestrates the rise and fall of th…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026