ECC 3:11 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for Bible-translators and others doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still early looks into the drafted texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=minor/spelling Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX Τὰ σύμπαντα ἃ ἐποίησε καλὰ ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ· καί γε σύμπαντα τὸν αἰῶνα ἔδωκεν ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτῶν, ὅπως μὴ εὕρῃ ὁ ἄνθρωπος τὸ ποίημα ὁ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς καὶ μέχρι τέλους.
(Ta sumpanta ha epoiaʸse kala en kairōi autou; kai ge sumpanta ton aiōna edōken en kardia autōn, hopōs maʸ heuraʸ ho anthrōpos to poiaʸma ho epoiaʸsen ho Theos apʼ arⱪaʸs kai meⱪri telous.)

BrTr All the things which he has made are beautiful in his time: he has also set the whole world in their heart, that man might not find out the work which God has wrought from the beginning even to the end.

ULT He makes everything beautiful in its time. Also, he gives perperuity in their heart, yet so that humanity cannot find the work that the God does from beginning to end.

UST God makes everything that happens in a person's life beautifully fitted for the moment that God has determined for it. And, at the same time, God enables humanity to perceive that he is at work in their lives. Even so, God does not allow humanity to completely understand everything that God does—from the time that he created this world and began governing it to the point at which he brings all things to an end.

BSB He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts [of men], yet [they] cannot fathom the work that God has done from beginning to end.

MSB (Same as BSB above)

OEB No OEB ECC book available

CSB He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts, but no one can discover the work God has done from beginning to end.

NLT Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.

NIV He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.

CEV God makes everything happen at the right time. Yet none of us can ever fully understand all he has done, and he puts questions in our minds about the past and the future.

ESV He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

NASB He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.

LSB He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.

WEBBE He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in their hearts, yet so that man can’t find out the work that God has done from the beginning even to the end.

WMBB (Same as above)

MSG ^(9-13)But in the end, does it really make a difference what anyone does? I’ve had a good look at what God has given us to do—busywork, mostly. True, God made everything beautiful in itself and in its time—but he’s left us in the dark, so we can never know what God is up to, whether he’s coming or going. I’ve decided that there’s nothing better to do than go ahead and have a good time and get the most we can out of life. That’s it—eat, drink, and make the most of your job. It’s God’s gift.

NET God 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.

LSV The whole He has made beautiful in its season; also, that knowledge He has put in their heart without which man does not find out the work that God has done from the beginning even to the end.

FBV Everything God does is beautifully timed, and even though he has also placed the idea of eternity[fn] in our minds, we can't fully understand what God does from beginning to end.

3:11 “Eternity”: the word used here has the meaning of ages past and ages future, “continuation to the most distant time.”

T4T God has appointed a time that is right/correct for everything to happen. He has also caused people to realize that there are things that will endure forever. But in spite of that, no one can completely understand everything that God has done, from the time that he starts doing things until he finishes them.

LEB He has made everything suitable in its time. He also has put _⌊the past_⌋[fn] in their hearts, yet no one can grasp what God does from the beginning to the end.

3:11 Literally “eternity”

NRSV He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

NKJV He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

NAB God has made everything appropriate to its time, but has put the timeless into their hearts so they cannot find out, from beginning to end, the work which God has done.

BBE He has made everything right in its time; but he has made their hearts without knowledge, so that man is unable to see the works of God, from the first to the last.

Moff he assigned each to its proper time, but for the mind of man he has appointed mystery, that man may never fathom God’s own purpose from beginning to end.

JPS He hath made every thing beautiful in its time; also He hath set the world in their heart, yet so that man cannot find out the work that God hath done from the beginning even to the end.

ASV He hath made everything beautiful in its time: also he hath set eternity in their heart, yet so that man cannot find out the work that God hath done from the beginning even to the end.

DRA He hath made all things good in their time, and hath delivered the world to their consideration, so that man cannot find out the work which God hath made from the beginning to the end.

YLT The whole He hath made beautiful in its season; also, that knowledge He hath put in their heart without which man findeth not out the work that God hath done from the beginning even unto the end.

Drby He hath made everything beautiful in its time; also he hath set the world in their heart, so that man findeth not out from the beginning to the end the work that [fn]God doeth.

3.11 Elohim

RV He hath made every thing beautiful in its time: also he hath set the world in their heart, yet so that man cannot find out the work that God hath done from the beginning even to the end.
(He hath/has made every thing beautiful in its time: also he hath/has set the world in their heart, yet so that man cannot find out the work that God hath/has done from the beginning even to the end.)

SLT He made everything beautiful in his time: also he gave hidden time in their heart, so that man shall not find the work which God did from the beginning and even to the end.

Wbstr He hath made every thing beautiful in its time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

KJB-1769 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
(He hath/has made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath/has set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh/makes from the beginning to the end.)

KJB-1611 He hath made euery thing beautifull in his time: also hee hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can finde out the worke that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps All this hath he ordeyned marueilous goodly, to euery thyng his due tyme: He hath planted ignoraunce also in the heartes of men, that they shoulde not comprehende the ground of his workes which he doth from the begynnyng to the ende.
(All this hath/has he ordained marvellous goodly, to every thing his due time: He hath/has planted ignorance also in the hearts of men, that they should not comprehend the ground of his works which he doth/does from the beginning to the end.)

Gnva He hath made euery thing beautifull in his time: also he hath set the worlde in their heart, yet can not man finde out the worke that God hath wrought from the beginning euen to the end.
(He hath/has made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath/has set the world in their heart, yet cannot man find out the work that God hath/has wrought/done from the beginning even to the end.)

Cvdl All this hath he ordened maruelous goodly, to euery thinge his due tyme. He hath plated ignoraunce also in the hertes of men, yt they shulde not fynde out ye grounde of his workes, which he doth from ye beginninge to ye ende.
(All this hath/has he ordained marvellous goodly, to every thing his due time. He hath/has plated ignorance also in the hearts of men, it they should not find out ye/you_all ground of his works, which he doth/does from ye/you_all beginning to ye/you_all end.)

Wycl God made alle thingis good in her tyme, and yaf the world to disputyng of hem, that a man fynde not the werk which God hath wrouyt fro the bigynnyng `til in to the ende.
(God made all things good in her time, and gave the world to disputing of hem, that a man find not the work which God hath/has wrought/done from the beginning till in to the end.)

Luth Er aber tut alles fein zu seiner Zeit und läßt ihr Herz sich ängsten, wie es gehen solle in der Welt; denn der Mensch kann doch nicht treffen das Werk, das GOtt tut, weder Anfang noch Ende.
(He but does all/everything fine to/for his time/period and lets you(pl)/their/her heart itself/yourself/themselves fears(v), as/like it go should in the/of_the world; because/than the/of_the person can though/but not meet the work, the God does, neither beginning still end(n).)

ClVg Cuncta fecit bona in tempore suo, et mundum tradidit disputationi eorum, ut non inveniat homo opus quod operatus est Deus ab initio usque ad finem.
(Everything he_did good(s) in/into/on at_the_time his_own, and the_world he_delivered discussion their, as not/no find human work/need that worked it_is God away at_first/in_the_beginning until to the_end.)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-goal

גַּ֤ם אֶת הָ⁠עֹלָם֙ נָתַ֣ן בְּ⁠לִבָּ֔⁠ם מִ⁠בְּלִ֞י אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹא יִמְצָ֣א הָ⁠אָדָ֗ם אֶת הַֽ⁠מַּעֲשֶׂ֛ה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂ֥ה הָ⁠אֱלֹהִ֖ים מֵ⁠רֹ֥אשׁ וְ⁠עַד סֽוֹף

(Some words not found in UHB: DOM (the),everything he/it_had_made suitable in,time_of,its also/yet DOM (the),perpetuity he/it_gave in,heart_of,their from,not_of which/who not find_out the=humankind DOM the,work which/who he/it_had_made the=ʼElohīm from,beginning and=unto end )

Here, the word yet introduces the result of God giving the sense of duration in their heart: humanity cannot find the work that God has done from beginning to end. Use a connector in your language that makes it clear that this is the purpose.

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

בְּ⁠לִבָּ֔⁠ם

in,heart_of,their

Here Solomon is speaking as if the inner being of a person were their heart. Your language may have a comparable expression that you can use in your translation, or you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [their inner being]

Note 3 topic: writing-pronouns

בְּ⁠לִבָּ֔⁠ם

in,heart_of,their

The pronoun their refers to the sons of humanity mentioned in [3:10](../03/10.md). It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: [in the hearts of humanity]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

הַֽ⁠מַּעֲשֶׂ֛ה

the,work

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of work, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [deeds]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / merism

מֵ⁠רֹ֥אשׁ וְ⁠עַד סֽוֹף

from,beginning and=unto end

Solomon is referring to all of God’s work in its entirety by naming two major components, beginning and end. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or plain language. Alternate translation: [from the very beginning to the very end of everything he does]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

הָ⁠עֹלָם֙

(the),perpetuity

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of duration, you could express the same idea in another way.

Parallel ECC 3:11