KJV King James Version
For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so [are] the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.
VERSE STUDY • KJV
Ecclesiastes 9:12
For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so [are] the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.
Read it in 5 translations
BSB Berean Standard Bible
For surely no man knows his time: Like fish caught in a cruel net or birds trapped in a snare, so men are ensnared in an evil time that suddenly falls upon them.
WEB World English Bible
For man also doesn’t know his time. As the fish that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare, even so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly on them.
ASV American Standard Version
For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare, even so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.
YLT Young’s Literal Translation
For even man knoweth not his time; as fish that are taken hold of by an evil net, and as birds that are taken hold of by a snare, like these are the sons of man snared at an evil time, when it falleth upon them suddenly.
Surrounding context — Ecclesiastes 9
9 Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that [is] thy portion in [this] life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.
10 Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do [it] with thy might; for [there is] no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race [is] not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
12 For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so [are] the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.
13 This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it [seemed] great unto me:
14 [There was] a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it:
15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.
Topics connected to this verse
Original-language word links
These Hebrew/Greek tokens are linked by Strong's number. Click one for its lexicon definition and other occurrences.
כִּ֡יH3588 · kiforגַּם֩H1571 · gamalsoלֹֽא־H3808 · lonotיֵדַ֨עH3045 · ya.dato knowהָאָדָ֜םH120 · a.dammanאֶת־H853 · et[Obj.]עִתּ֗וֹH6256 · ettimeכַּדָּגִים֙H1709 · dagFish (Gate)שֶׁנֶּֽאֱחָזִים֙H270 · a.chazto graspבִּמְצוֹדָ֣הH4685 · ma.tsodsiegeworkרָעָ֔הH7451 · rabad: harmfulוְכַ֨צִּפֳּרִ֔יםH6833 · tsip.porbirdהָאֲחֻז֖וֹתH270 · a.chazto graspבַּפָּ֑חH6341 · pachsnareכָּהֵ֗םH9038 · hemthemיֽוּקָשִׁים֙H3369 · ya.qoshto snareבְּנֵ֣יH1121 · benson: childהָֽאָדָ֔םH120 · a.dammanלְעֵ֣תH6256 · ettimeרָעָ֔הH7451 · rabad: harmfulכְּשֶׁתִּפּ֥וֹלH5307 · na.phalto fall: fallעֲלֵיהֶ֖םH5921 · aluponפִּתְאֹֽם׃H6597 · pit.omsuddenly
Cross-references
1 Thessalonians 5:3For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.Luke 21:34-36And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and [so] that day come upon you unawares.Ecclesiastes 8:5-7Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment.Proverbs 6:15Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.Proverbs 29:6In the transgression of an evil man [there is] a snare: but the righteous doth sing and rejoice.Proverbs 7:22-23He goeth after her straightway, as an ox goeth to the slaughter, or as a fool to the correction of the stocks;Psalm 73:18-20Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction.2 Corinthians 6:2(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now [is] the accepted time; behold, now [is] the day of salvation.)2 Timothy 2:26And [that] they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.Job 18:8-10For he is cast into a net by his own feet, and he walketh upon a snare.Luke 12:20But God said unto him, [Thou] fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?Luke 17:26-31And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.Psalm 11:6Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: [this shall be] the portion of their cup.Isaiah 30:13Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant.Luke 19:42-44Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things [which belong] unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes.2 Peter 2:12But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things that they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption;Luke 12:39And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through.Habakkuk 1:14-17And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, [that have] no ruler over them?
HISTORICAL INTERPRETATION
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