Ecclesiastes 3:15
New International Version
Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.

New Living Translation
What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before, because God makes the same things happen over and over again.

English Standard Version
That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.

Berean Standard Bible
What exists has already been, and what will be has already been, for God will call to account what has passed.

King James Bible
That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

New King James Version
That which is has already been, And what is to be has already been; And God requires an account of what is past.

New American Standard Bible
That which is, is what has already been, and that which will be has already been; and God seeks what has passed by.

NASB 1995
That which is has been already and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by.

NASB 1977
That which is has been already, and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by.

Legacy Standard Bible
That which is has been already and that which will be has already been, yet God seeks what is pursued.

Amplified Bible
That which is has already been, and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by [so that history repeats itself].

Christian Standard Bible
Whatever is, has already been, and whatever will be, already is. However, God seeks justice for the persecuted.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Whatever is, has already been, and whatever will be, already is. God repeats what has passed.

American Standard Version
That which is hath been long ago; and that which is to be hath long ago been: and God seeketh again that which is passed away.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Whatever has already been, is, and all whatever shall be, has been for a long time, and God will seek the persecuted who is driven away

Brenton Septuagint Translation
That which has been is now; and whatever things are appointed to be have already been; and God will seek out that which is past.

Contemporary English Version
Everything that happens has happened before, and all that will be has already been--God does everything over and over again.

Douay-Rheims Bible
That which hath been made, the same continueth: the things that shall be, have already been: and God restoreth that which is past.

English Revised Version
That which is hath been already; and that which is to be hath already been: and God seeketh again that which is passed away.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Whatever has happened [in the past] is present now. Whatever is going to happen [in the future] has already happened [in the past]. God will call the past to account.

Good News Translation
Whatever happens or can happen has already happened before. God makes the same thing happen again and again.

International Standard Version
That which was, now is; and that which will be, already is; and God examines what has already taken place.

JPS Tanakh 1917
That which is hath been long ago, and that which is to be hath already been; and God seeketh that which is pursued.

Literal Standard Version
What is that which has been? Already it is, and that which [is] to be has already been, and God requires that which is pursued.

Majority Standard Bible
What exists has already been, and what will be has already been, for God will call to account what has passed.

New American Bible
What now is has already been; what is to be, already is: God retrieves what has gone by.

NET Bible
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.

New Revised Standard Version
That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already is; and God seeks out what has gone by.

New Heart English Bible
That which is has been long ago, and that which is to be has been long ago: and God seeks again that which is passed away.

Webster's Bible Translation
That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

World English Bible
That which is has been long ago, and that which is to be has been long ago. God seeks again that which is passed away.

Young's Literal Translation
What is that which hath been? already it is, and that which is to be hath already been, and God requireth that which is pursued.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God's Works Remain Forever
14I know that everything God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God does it so that they should fear Him. 15What exists has already been, and what will be has already been, for God will call to account what has passed.

Cross References
Ecclesiastes 1:9
What has been will be again, and what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

Ecclesiastes 2:12
Then I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly; for what more can the king's successor do than what has already been accomplished?

Ecclesiastes 6:10
Whatever exists was named long ago, and what happens to a man is foreknown; but he cannot contend with one stronger than he.


Treasury of Scripture

That which has been is now; and that which is to be has already been; and God requires that which is past.

which hath

Ecclesiastes 1:9,10
The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun…

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Account Ago Already Driven Makes Passed Past Pursued Requireth Search Seeketh Seeks Whatever
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Account Ago Already Driven Makes Passed Past Pursued Requireth Search Seeketh Seeks Whatever
Ecclesiastes 3
1. by the necessary change of times, vanity is added to human travail
11. is an excellence in God's works
16. as for man, God shall judge his works hereafter, though here he be like a beast














(15) Is now.--Rather, was long ago.

Requireth.--Seeketh again: i.e., recalleth the past. The writer has not been speaking of the bringing the past into judgment, but of the immutable order of the universe, which constantly repeats itself. But it would seem that the word suggesting the thought of seeking for the purpose of judgment leads on to the next topic.

Verse 15. - That which hath been is now; so Septuagint; "That which hath been made, the same remaineth" (Vulgate); better, that which hath been, long ago it is; i.e. was in existence long before. The thought is much the same as in Ecclesiastes 1:9, only here it is adduced not to prove the vanity and endless sameness of circumstances, but the orderly and appointed succession of events under the controlling providence of God. That which is to be hath already been. The future will be a reproduction of the past. The laws which regulate things change not; the moral government is exercised by him who "is, and was, and is to come" (Revelation 1:8), and therefore in effect history repeats itself; the same causes produce the same phenomena. God requireth that which is past; literally, God seeketh after that which hath been chased away; Septuagint, "God will seek him who is pursued (τὸν διωκόμενον);" Vulgate, "God reneweth that which is passed (instaurat quod abiit)." The meaning is - God brings back to view, recalls again into being, that which was past and had vanished out of sight and mind. The sentence is an explanation of the preceding clauses, and has nothing to do with the inquisition at the day of judgment. Hengstenberg has followed the Septuagint, Syriac, and Targum, in translating, "God seeks the persecuted," and seeing herein an allusion to the punishment of the Egyptians for pursuing the Israelites to the Red Sea, or a general statement that God succors the oppressed. But this idea is quite alien to the intention of the passage, and injures the coherence.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
What exists
מַה־ (mah-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

has already
כְּבָ֣ר (kə·ḇār)
Adverb
Strong's 3528: Extent of time, a great while, long ago, formerly, hitherto

been,
שֶּֽׁהָיָה֙ (še·hā·yāh)
Pronoun - relative | Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

and what
וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר (wa·’ă·šer)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

will be
לִהְי֖וֹת (lih·yō·wṯ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

has already
כְּבָ֣ר (kə·ḇār)
Adverb
Strong's 3528: Extent of time, a great while, long ago, formerly, hitherto

been,
הָיָ֑ה (hā·yāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

for God
וְהָאֱלֹהִ֖ים (wə·hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

will call to account
יְבַקֵּ֥שׁ (yə·ḇaq·qêš)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1245: To search out, to strive after

what has passed.
נִרְדָּֽף׃ (nir·dāp̄)
Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 7291: To pursue, chase, persecute


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OT Poetry: Ecclesiastes 3:15 That which is has been long ago (Ecclesiast. Ec Ecc Eccles.)
Ecclesiastes 3:14
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