Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. New Living Translation For people and animals share the same fate—both breathe and both must die. So people have no real advantage over the animals. How meaningless! English Standard Version For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity. Berean Standard Bible For the fates of both men and beasts are the same: As one dies, so dies the other—they all have the same breath. Man has no advantage over the animals, since everything is futile. King James Bible For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. New King James Version For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. New American Standard Bible For the fate of the sons of mankind and the fate of animals is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath, and there is no advantage for mankind over animals, for all is futility. NASB 1995 For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity. NASB 1977 For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity. Legacy Standard Bible For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same fate for each of them. As one dies so dies the other, and they all have the same breath. So there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity. Amplified Bible For the [earthly] fate of the sons of men and the fate of animals is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no preeminence or advantage for man [in and of himself] over an animal, for all is vanity. Christian Standard Bible For the fate of the children of Adam and the fate of animals is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; they all have the same breath. People have no advantage over animals since everything is futile. Holman Christian Standard Bible For the fate of people and the fate of animals is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; they all have the same breath. People have no advantage over animals since everything is futile. American Standard Version For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; and man hath no preeminence above the beasts: for all is vanity. Aramaic Bible in Plain English Mishap meets the children men and mishap of beasts; one mishap occurs to all; like the death of one, so dies also the other, and they all have the same Spirit, and there is no superiority of a son of man compared to beasts, for everything is futility Brenton Septuagint Translation Also to them is the event of the sons of man, and the event of the brute; one event befalls them: as is the death of the one, so also the death of the other; and there is one breath to all: and what has the man more than the brute? nothing; for all is vanity. Contemporary English Version Like animals we breathe and die, and we are no better off than they are. It just doesn't make sense. Douay-Rheims Bible Therefore the death of man, and of beasts is one, and the condition of them both is equal: as man dieth, so they also die: all things breathe alike, and man hath nothing more than beast: all things are subject to vanity. English Revised Version For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; and man hath no preeminence above the beasts: for all is vanity. GOD'S WORD® Translation Humans and animals have the same destiny. One dies just like the other. All of them have the same breath [of life]. Humans have no advantage over animals. All [of life] is pointless. Good News Translation After all, the same fate awaits human beings and animals alike. One dies just like the other. They are the same kind of creature. A human being is no better off than an animal, because life has no meaning for either. International Standard Version For what happens to people also happens to animals—a single event happens to them: just as someone dies, so does the other. In fact, they all breathe the same way, so that a human being has no superiority over an animal. All of this is pointless. JPS Tanakh 1917 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them; as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that man hath no pre-eminence above a beast; for all is vanity. Literal Standard Version For an event [is to] the sons of man, and an event [is to] the beasts, even one event [is] to them; as the death of this, so [is] the death of that; and one spirit [is] to all, and the advantage of man above the beast is nothing, for the whole [is] vanity. Majority Standard Bible For the fates of both men and beasts are the same: As one dies, so dies the other—they all have the same breath. Man has no advantage over the animals, since everything is futile. New American Bible For the lot of mortals and the lot of beasts is the same lot: The one dies as well as the other. Both have the same life breath. Human beings have no advantage over beasts, but all is vanity. NET Bible For 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. New Revised Standard Version For the fate of humans and the fate of animals is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and humans have no advantage over the animals; for all is vanity. New Heart English Bible For that which happens to the sons of men happens to animals. Even one thing happens to them. As the one dies, so the other dies. Yes, they have all one breath; and man has no advantage over the animals: for all is vanity. Webster's Bible Translation For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yes, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no pre-eminence above a beast: for all is vanity. World English Bible For that which happens to the sons of men happens to animals. Even one thing happens to them. As the one dies, so the other dies. Yes, they have all one breath; and man has no advantage over the animals, for all is vanity. Young's Literal Translation For an event is to the sons of man, and an event is to the beasts, even one event is to them; as the death of this, so is the death of that; and one spirit is to all, and the advantage of man above the beast is nothing, for the whole is vanity. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context From Dust to Dust…18I said to myself, “As for the sons of men, God tests them so that they may see for themselves that they are but beasts.” 19For the fates of both men and beasts are the same: As one dies, so dies the other— they all have the same breath. Man has no advantage over the animals, since everything is futile. 20All go to one place; all come from dust, and all return to dust.… Cross References Numbers 16:29 If these men die a natural death, or if they suffer the fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me. Psalm 49:12 But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure; he is like the beasts that perish. Psalm 49:20 A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish. Ecclesiastes 2:14 The wise man has eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also came to realize that one fate overcomes them both. Ecclesiastes 7:2 It is better to enter a house of mourning than a house of feasting, since death is the end of every man, and the living should take this to heart. Ecclesiastes 9:2 It is the same for all: There is a common fate for the righteous and the wicked, for the good and the bad, for the clean and the unclean, for the one who sacrifices and the one who does not. As it is for the good, so it is for the sinner; as it is for the one who makes a vow, so it is for the one who refuses to take a vow. Ecclesiastes 9:12 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. Treasury of Scripture For that which befalls the sons of men befalls beasts; even one thing befalls them: as the one dies, so dies the other; yes, they have all one breath; so that a man has no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. that which Ecclesiastes 2:16 For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool. Psalm 49:12,20 Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish… Psalm 92:6,7 A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this… as the 2 Samuel 14:14 For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him. Job 14:10-12 But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? … Psalm 104:29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. for Ecclesiastes 2:20-23 Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun… Psalm 39:5,6 Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah… Psalm 89:47,48 Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain? … Jump to Previous Advantage Animals Beast Beasts Befalleth Breath Dies Dieth Happens Preeminence Pre-Eminence VanityJump to Next Advantage Animals Beast Beasts Befalleth Breath Dies Dieth Happens Preeminence Pre-Eminence VanityEcclesiastes 3 1. by the necessary change of times, vanity is added to human travail11. is an excellence in God's works 16. as for man, God shall judge his works hereafter, though here he be like a beast (19) That which befalleth.--The word translated "event" in Ecclesiastes 2:13 (where see Note). Breath.--The same word as "spirit" (Ecclesiastes 3:21; Genesis 7:15; Psalm 104:30). Verses 19-21 are best regarded as a parenthesis explanatory of vers. 16-18, elucidating man's impotence in the presence of the anomalies of life. The conclusion in ver. 22 is connected with vers. 16-18. We must acknowledge that there are disorders in the world which we cannot remedy, and which God allows in order to demonstrate our powerlessness; therefore the wisest course is to make the best of present cir-circumstances. Verse 19. - For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; literally, chance are the sons of men, and chance are beasts (see on Ecclesiastes 2:14); Septuagint, "Yea, and to them cometh the event (συνάντηημα) of the sons of men, and the event of the beast." Koheleth explains in what respect man is on a level with the brute creation. Neither are able to rise superior to the law that controls their natural life. So Solon says to Croesus (Herod., 1:32), Πᾶν ἐστι ἄνθρωπος συμφορή, "Man is naught but chance;" and Artabanns reminds Xerxes that chances rule men, not men chances (ibid., 7:49). Even one thing befalleth them. A third time is the ominous word repeated, "One chance is to both of them." Free-thinkers perverted this dictum into the materialistic language quoted in the Book of Wisdom (2. 2): "We are born at haphazard, by chance (αὐτοσχεδιως´); etc. But Koheleth's contention is, not that there is no law or order in what happens to man, but that neither man nor beast can dispose events at their own will and pleasure; they are conditioned by a force superior to them, which dominates their actions, sufferings, and circumstances of life. As the one dieth, so dieth the other. In the matter of succumbing to the law of death man has no superiority over other creatures. This is an inference drawn from common observation of exterior facts, and touches not any higher question (comp. Ecclesiastes 2:14, 15; Ecclesiastes 9:2, 3). Something similar is found in Psalm 49:20, "Man that is in honor, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish." Yea, they have all one breath (ruach). This is the word used in ver. 23 for the vital principle, "the breath of life," as it is called in Genesis 6:17, where the same word is found. In the earlier record (Genesis 2:7) the term is nishma. Life in all animals is regarded as the gift of God. Says the psalmist, "Thou sendest forth thy spirit (ruach), they are created" (Psalm 104:30). This lower principle presents the same phenomena in men and in brutes. Man hath no pre-eminence above a beast; i.e. in regard to suffering and death. This is not bare materialism, or a gloomy deduction from Greek teaching, but must be explained from the writer's standpoint, which is to emphasize the impotence of man to effect his own happiness. Taking only a limited and phenomenal view of man's circumstances and destiny, he speaks a general truth which all must acknowledge. Septuagint, "And what hath the man more than the beast? Nothing." For all is vanity. The distinction between man and beast is annulled by death; the former's boasted superiority, his power of conceiving and planning, his greatness, skill, strength. cunning, all come under the category of vanity, as they cannot ward off the inevitable blow.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Forכִּי֩ (kî) Conjunction Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction the fates מִקְרֶ֨ה (miq·reh) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 4745: Something met with, an accident, fortune of [both] men הָאָדָ֜ם (hā·’ā·ḏām) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 120: Ruddy, a human being [and] וּמִקְרֶ֣ה (ū·miq·reh) Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 4745: Something met with, an accident, fortune beasts הַבְּהֵמָ֗ה (hab·bə·hê·māh) Article | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 929: A dumb beast, any large quadruped, animal are the same: אֶחָד֙ (’e·ḥāḏ) Number - masculine singular Strong's 259: United, one, first As one זֶה֙ (zeh) Pronoun - masculine singular Strong's 2088: This, that dies, כְּמ֥וֹת (kə·mō·wṯ) Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 4194: Death, the dead, their place, state, pestilence, ruin so כֵּ֣ן (kên) Adverb Strong's 3651: So -- thus dies מ֣וֹת (mō·wṯ) Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 4194: Death, the dead, their place, state, pestilence, ruin the other— זֶ֔ה (zeh) Pronoun - masculine singular Strong's 2088: This, that they all לַכֹּ֑ל (lak·kōl) Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every have the same אֶחָ֖ד (’e·ḥāḏ) Number - masculine singular Strong's 259: United, one, first breath. וְר֥וּחַ (wə·rū·aḥ) Conjunctive waw | Noun - common singular Strong's 7307: Wind, breath, exhalation, life, anger, unsubstantiality, a region of the sky, spirit Man הָאָדָ֤ם (hā·’ā·ḏām) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 120: Ruddy, a human being has no אָ֔יִן (’ā·yin) Adverb Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle advantage וּמוֹתַ֨ר (ū·mō·w·ṯar) Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct Strong's 4195: Abundance, preeminence over מִן־ (min-) Preposition Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of the animals, הַבְּהֵמָה֙ (hab·bə·hê·māh) Article | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 929: A dumb beast, any large quadruped, animal since כִּ֥י (kî) Conjunction Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction everything הַכֹּ֖ל (hak·kōl) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every is futile. הָֽבֶל׃ (hā·ḇel) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 1892: Emptiness, vanity, transitory, unsatisfactory Links Ecclesiastes 3:19 NIVEcclesiastes 3:19 NLT Ecclesiastes 3:19 ESV Ecclesiastes 3:19 NASB Ecclesiastes 3:19 KJV Ecclesiastes 3:19 BibleApps.com Ecclesiastes 3:19 Biblia Paralela Ecclesiastes 3:19 Chinese Bible Ecclesiastes 3:19 French Bible Ecclesiastes 3:19 Catholic Bible OT Poetry: Ecclesiastes 3:19 For that which happens to the sons (Ecclesiast. Ec Ecc Eccles.) |
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