Ecclesiastes 3:15
Whatever exists now has already been, and whatever will be has already been; for God will seek to do again what has occurred in the past.
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Referenced Verses
- Eccl 1:9-9 : 9 What exists now is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing truly new on earth. 10 Is there anything about which someone can say,“Look at this! It is new!”? It was already done long ago, before our time.
- Eccl 6:10 : 10 The Futile Way Life Works Whatever has happened was foreordained, and what happens to a person was also foreknown. It is useless for him to argue with God about his fate because God is more powerful than he is.
Similar Verses (AI)
These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.
- Eccl 1:8-114 verses84%
8All this monotony is tiresome; no one can bear to describe it: The eye is never satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear ever content with hearing.
9What exists now is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing truly new on earth.
10Is there anything about which someone can say,“Look at this! It is new!”? It was already done long ago, before our time.
11No one remembers the former events, nor will anyone remember the events that are yet to happen; they will not be remembered by the future generations.
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14God’s Sovereignty I also know that whatever God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken away from it. God has made it this way, so that men will fear him.
- Eccl 6:10-123 verses79%
10The Futile Way Life Works Whatever has happened was foreordained, and what happens to a person was also foreknown. It is useless for him to argue with God about his fate because God is more powerful than he is.
11The more one argues with words, the less he accomplishes. How does that benefit him?
12For no one knows what is best for a person during his life– during the few days of his fleeting life– for they pass away like a shadow. Nor can anyone tell him what the future will hold for him on earth.
- Eccl 2:11-122 verses77%
11Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplished and on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it, I concluded:“All these achievements and possessions are ultimately profitless– like chasing the wind! There is nothing gained from them on earth.”
12Wisdom is Better than Folly Next, I decided to consider wisdom, as well as foolish behavior and ideas. For what more can the king’s successor do than what the king has already done?
- Eccl 3:9-124 verses76%
9Man is Ignorant of God’s Timing What benefit can a worker gain from his toil?
10I have observed the burden that God has given to people to keep them occupied.
11God has made everything fit beautifully in its appropriate time, but he has also placed ignorance in the human heart so that people cannot discover what God has ordained, from the beginning to the end of their lives.
12Enjoy Life in the Present I have concluded that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to enjoy themselves as long as they live,
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16The Problem of Injustice and Oppression I saw something else on earth: In the place of justice, there was wickedness, and in the place of fairness, there was wickedness.
- Eccl 1:13-153 verses75%
13I decided to carefully and thoroughly examine all that has been accomplished on earth. I concluded: God has given people a burdensome task that keeps them occupied.
14I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man on earth, and I concluded: Everything he has accomplished is futile– like chasing the wind!
15What is bent cannot be straightened, and what is missing cannot be supplied.
- Eccl 4:2-32 verses74%
2So I considered those who are dead and gone more fortunate than those who are still alive.
3But better than both is the one who has not been born and has not seen the evil things that are done on earth.
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22So I perceived there is nothing better than for people to enjoy their work, because that is their reward; for who can show them what the future holds?
- Eccl 3:1-22 verses73%
1A Time for All Events in Life For everything there is an appointed time, and an appropriate time for every activity on earth:
2A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot what was planted;
- Eccl 4:15-162 verses73%
15I considered all the living who walk on earth, as well as the successor who would arise in his place.
16There is no end to all the people nor to the past generations, yet future generations will not rejoice in him. This also is profitless and like chasing the wind.
- Eccl 1:2-54 verses73%
2Introduction: Utter Futility“Futile! Futile!” laments the Teacher,“Absolutely futile! Everything is futile!”
3Futility Illustrated from Nature What benefit do people get from all the effort which they expend on earth?
4A generation comes and a generation goes, but the earth remains the same through the ages.
5The sun rises and the sun sets; it hurries away to a place from which it rises again.
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1Everyone Will Die So I reflected on all this, attempting to clear it all up. I concluded that the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hand of God; whether a person will be loved or hated– no one knows what lies ahead.
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14Here is another enigma that occurs on earth: Sometimes there are righteous people who get what the wicked deserve, and sometimes there are wicked people who get what the righteous deserve. I said,“This also is an enigma.”
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8Concluding Refrain: Qoheleth Restates His Thesis“Absolutely futile!” laments the Teacher,“All of these things are futile!”
- Eccl 3:18-203 verses72%
18I also thought to myself,“It is for the sake of people, so God can clearly show them that they are like animals.
19For the fate of humans and the fate of animals are the same: As one dies, so dies the other; both have the same breath. There is no advantage for humans over animals, for both are fleeting.
20Both go to the same place, both come from the dust, and to dust both return.
- Eccl 7:13-153 verses72%
13Wisdom Acknowledges God’s Orchestration of Life Consider the work of God: For who can make straight what he has bent?
14In times of prosperity be joyful, but in times of adversity consider this: God has made one as well as the other, so that no one can discover what the future holds.
15Exceptions to the Law of Retribution During the days of my fleeting life I have seen both of these things: Sometimes a righteous person dies prematurely in spite of his righteousness, and sometimes a wicked person lives long in spite of his evil deeds.
- Eccl 8:9-102 verses72%
9While applying my mind to everything that happens in this world, I have seen all this: Sometimes one person dominates other people to their harm.
10Contradictions to the Law of Retribution Not only that, but I have seen the wicked approaching and entering the temple, and as they left the holy temple, they boasted in the city that they had done so. This also is an enigma.
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3This is the unfortunate fact about everything that happens on earth: the same fate awaits everyone. In addition to this, the hearts of all people are full of evil, and there is folly in their hearts during their lives– then they die.
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16This is another misfortune: Just as he came, so will he go. What did he gain from toiling for the wind?
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17then I discerned all that God has done: No one really comprehends what happens on earth. Despite all human efforts to discover it, no one can ever grasp it. Even if a wise person claimed that he understood, he would not really comprehend it.
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4“Surely you know that it has been from old, ever since humankind was placed on the earth,
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6A time to search, and a time to give something up as lost; a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
- Eccl 2:16-172 verses70%
16For the wise man, like the fool, will not be remembered for very long, because in the days to come, both will already have been forgotten. Alas, the wise man dies– just like the fool!
17So I loathed life because what happens on earth seems awful to me; for all the benefits of wisdom are futile– like chasing the wind.
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8So, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all, but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many– all that is about to come is obscure.
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13Most People Are Not Receptive to Wise Counsel This is what I also observed about wisdom on earth, and it is a great burden to me:
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16but when the hot wind blows by, it disappears, and one can no longer even spot the place where it once grew.