3:1 While the Preacher often writes his “words of truth” in a didactic mode, he also knows the impact of beautiful language and therefore sought to write “words of delight” (12:10) as well. This poem focuses on the theme of a “season” and “time” for every sort of human experience, with the latter term (Hb. ʿet) functioning as a repeated keyword for the composition. Ecclesiastes 3:1 provides a general principle that the remainder of the poem seeks to explain.33

3:2–8 By marking out the extreme ends of human life, from birth to death (v. 2a), the Preacher implies that every moment of human existence can prove instructive and is to be embraced as appropriate. While the events of birth and death are outside of an individual’s control, the remaining lines of the poem speak in one way or another about the range of conscious and volitional human activities and endeavors. These can involve times of both creation and destruction: planting a field can require that one pull up something that has already been planted (v. 2b), building a structure sometimes requires doing demolition work first (vv. 3b, 5a), and sewing a garment sometimes requires tearing it apart (v. 7a). These activities are meant to be illustrative of a range of creative and destructive endeavors.

The poem also speaks to the range of human emotional experiences. As verse 4 notes, we will go through times in which we “weep” and “mourn” as well as “laugh” and “dance.” What is implied by this poetic use of polar opposites is that we will also experience many less intense emotions in the middle of the spectrum (such as feeling blue instead of weeping, or being upbeat instead of dancing). The poem thus provides some perspective for those who experience emotional swings, which are not necessarily a sign of weakness but are sometimes simply the result of living in a complex, multifaceted world, which provides numerous reasons for both joy and sorrow. In this way Ecclesiastes counsels us to cultivate a robust appreciation for the full spectrum of human emotional life.

Earlier the Preacher reflected on the “vanity” of his own material acquisitions (2:7–8). In 3:6 he speaks to this by referring to a “time to lose” and a “time to cast away,” in contrast to a “time to seek” and a “time to keep.” There are seasons of life in which it is appropriate to acquire possessions, but there are also seasons in which one needs to be willing to let them go. The faithful believer should not constantly hoard his or her possessions.

While one easily understands the calling to heal, to love, and to pursue peace (vv. 3, 8), the reader might be surprised to hear that there is also an appropriate time to kill, to hate, and to engage in warfare (vv. 3, 8). One must remember that the Preacher is simply noting that all aspects of human existence have their place in the proper time; he is not indicating that all the activities named should be pursued with equal frequency. In general most of our experiences will fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. Nevertheless, in some circumstances and at certain times a resolute course of action is required. Clearly the Bible forbids murder (Ex. 20:13), but as a keen observer of life in a deeply fallen world the Preacher also acknowledges that in some limited contexts the judicial taking of a life is justifiable (e.g., Rom. 13:4). In a similar way there are times when a more peaceful, diplomatic approach fails and a military solution is the one that must be pursued to preserve national or international interests.

The reference in Ecclesiastes 3:8 to “a time to love, and a time to hate” is apt to cause confusion for many readers. Some interpreters view this as referring to God’s love or hate for either an individual or a nation, which consequently finds expression accordingly in blessing or adversity. Others might seek to explain the Preacher’s reference to love and hate in verse 8 by referencing the maxim “Hate the sin but love the sinner.” The verse is best understood, however, in the realm of personal relationships. In the OT one of the words for a “friend” is “someone who loves” another person (Hb. ʾoheb; cf. Judg. 5:31; 2 Chron. 20:7; Isa. 41:8); conversely, one of the words for an “enemy” is “someone who hates” another person (Hb. soneʾ; cf. Ex. 1:10; Lev. 26:17; Prov. 27:6). Thus a person’s status as one’s “friend” or “enemy” is determined not by one’s feelings toward the other person but rather by that person’s feelings and behavior.

Thus in Ecclesiastes 3:8 the Preacher is saying not that a believer is free to indulge a personal hatred against another person but rather that the reader must be prepared for the experience of being hated or disliked by another. Even when this happens—and it will at some point for every true disciple (Matt. 10:22; John 15:18–19; 1 John 3:13)—the believer is called to love his or her enemies (Matt. 5:44). Although different interpretations have been proposed, this is probably the idea of the reference in Ecclesiastes 3:5 to “a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing.” Some interpersonal relationships will be warm, while others will be more distant. For every believer the bottom line is Paul’s urging, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (Rom. 12:18), tempered by the realization that sometimes the issue is out of one’s hands.

As noted in Introduction: Theology of Ecclesiastes, the concluding reference to “peace” (Hb. shalom) in Ecclesiastes 3:8 provides a powerful climax to this sevenfold pairing of experiences. Just as the poem began by referring to the inception of life (“a time to be born”; v. 2), it ends ultimately in “peace,” evoking the OT’s rich imagery of a renewed cosmos in which its original shalom has been restored (e.g., Isa. 11:1–10) by the Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6–7). The attentive reader must be careful not to allow the grittier and darker themes of Ecclesiastes to overwhelm its important rays of hope. This unit is a poetic, literary form of chiaroscuro painting: a vivid, brilliant contrast of light against the dark.