complete verse (Ecclesiastes 3:6)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Ecclesiastes 3:6:

  • Kupsabiny: “There is a day to find/get (things) and one for losing,
    there is a day for taking care of (things) and one for throwing away.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “There is a time to seek, there is a time to give up.
    There is a time to keep, there is a time to throw away.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “there is a time to search and there is also a time to stop searching,
    there is a time to keep and there is also a time to throw-away,” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Ecclesiastes 3:6

A time to seek, and a time to lose is a further general example of certain kinds of conduct. The verb seek often has the sense of “seeking to attain some goal or object” and so can be translated as “a time to aim for some goal.” A time to lose has little meaning unless we appreciate that the verb “lose” can also denote giving up something as lost, or abandoning the search for something. Here the translator needs to find a verb pair which expresses such opposites. Remember that, if the verb in our language requires an object, then we should use the most general word available.

Some models for translation are:

• There is an appropriate time to seek something, and an appropriate time to give up on something.

• There is a time to try to attain some goal and a time to give up [trying].

• There is a time to search and a time to stop searching.

A time to keep, and a time to cast away: the first verb, keep or “preserve,” also means “obey [laws],” though this latter sense may not be adequate here. The lack of an object makes it difficult to know precisely what Qoheleth intends. Even though these examples only illustrate the principle of appropriate times, we may have difficulty rendering them meaningfully in languages where the verb requires an object, unless we can say “keep things” and “throw away things.”

A time to cast away uses the same verb and form as in verse 5a. Qoheleth is here speaking generally of good times for saving things and good times for throwing things away. This is reflected in Good News Translation. However, the Good News Translation creates a difficulty for us when it states that God is the one who determines the times for these activities. For reasons already given above, we should use a general expression and not specify God as the subject. If one is absolutely required by the verb, then it must be the general “you,” or “we,” or “one.”

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Ecclesiates. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ecclesiastes 3:6

3:6a a time to search and a time to count as lost,

There is a time to look for things that you have lost.There is a time to accept that you have lost them. (EEB)
-or-

⌊There is also⌋ a time ⌊when people⌋ search for ⌊things⌋ and a time ⌊when people decide to⌋ stop searching ⌊for things⌋ .
-or-

⌊People⌋ look ⌊for things lost⌋ at certain times and ⌊people⌋ give up looking ⌊for things⌋ at certain times.

3:6b a time to keep and a time to discard,

⌊There is⌋ a time to keep things, and a time to throw things away.
-or-

⌊There is also⌋ a time ⌊when people⌋ keep ⌊things⌋ and a time ⌊when people⌋ throw ⌊things⌋ away.
-or-

⌊People⌋ at certain times keep ⌊things⌋ and ⌊people⌋ discard ⌊things⌋ at certain times.

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