CINXE.COM

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Ecclesiastes 3:15 What exists has already been, and what will be has already been, for God will call to account what has passed.</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/ecclesiastes/3-15.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/6/21_Ecc_03_15.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Ecclesiastes 3:15 - God's Works Remain Forever" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="What exists has already been, and what will be has already been, for God will call to account what has passed." /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="/vmenus/ecclesiastes/3-15.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="/bmc/ecclesiastes/3-15.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="/">Bible</a> > <a href="/ecclesiastes/">Ecclesiastes</a> > <a href="/ecclesiastes/3.htm">Chapter 3</a> > Verse 15</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div><div id="ad1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/ad15.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="/ecclesiastes/3-14.htm" title="Ecclesiastes 3:14">◄</a> Ecclesiastes 3:15 <a href="/ecclesiastes/3-16.htm" title="Ecclesiastes 3:16">►</a></div></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="topverse"> <a href="#audio" class="clickchap2" title="Context and Audio Bible"> Audio </a> <a href="#crossref" class="clickchap2" title="Cross References"> Cross </a> <a href="#study" class="clickchap2" title="Study Bible"> Study </a> <a href="#commentary" class="clickchap2" title="Commentary"> Comm </a> <a href="#lexicon" class="clickchap2" title="Lexicon"> Heb </a> </div><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/ecclesiastes/3.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/ecclesiastes/3.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/ecclesiastes/3.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/ecclesiastes/3.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/ecclesiastes/3.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />What exists has already been, and what will be has already been, for God will call to account what has passed.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/ecclesiastes/3.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/ecclesiastes/3.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />That which is has already been, And what is to be has already been; And God requires an account of what is past.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/ecclesiastes/3.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />That <i>which is,</i> is what has already been, and that which will be has already been; and God seeks what has passed by.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/ecclesiastes/3.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />That which is has been already and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/ecclesiastes/3.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />That which is has been already, and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/ecclesiastes/3.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />That which is has been already and that which will be has already been, yet God seeks what is pursued.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/ecclesiastes/3.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />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].<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/ecclesiastes/3.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Whatever is, has already been, and whatever will be, already is. However, God seeks justice for the persecuted.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/ecclesiastes/3.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Whatever is, has already been, and whatever will be, already is. God repeats what has passed. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/ecclesiastes/3.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/ecclesiastes/3.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />Everything that happens has happened before, and all that will be has already been--God does everything over and over again. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/ecclesiastes/3.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />That which is hath been already; and that which is to be hath already been: and God seeketh again that which is passed away.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/ecclesiastes/3.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />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. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/ecclesiastes/3.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />Whatever happens or can happen has already happened before. God makes the same thing happen again and again. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/ecclesiastes/3.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />That which was, now is; and that which will be, already is; and God examines what has already taken place.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/ecclesiastes/3.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />What exists has already been, and what will be has already been, for God will call to account what has passed.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/ecclesiastes/3.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />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. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/ecclesiastes/3.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/ecclesiastes/3.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/ecclesiastes/3.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />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. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/ecclesiastes/3.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/ecclesiastes/3.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> 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.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/ecclesiastes/3.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />What was, it is already; and what to be, was already; and God will seek him being driven away.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/ecclesiastes/3.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />That which hath been made, the same continueth: the things that shall be, have already been: and God restoreth that which is past. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/ecclesiastes/3.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />What has been made, the same continues. What is in the future, has already existed. And God restores what has passed away.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/ecclesiastes/3.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />What now is has already been; what is to be, already is: God retrieves what has gone by. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/ecclesiastes/3.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already is; and God seeks out what has gone by.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/ecclesiastes/3.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />That which is now, already has been; and that which is to be, has already been; and God will avenge him who has been persecuted.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/ecclesiastes/3.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />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<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/ecclesiastes/3.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />That which is hath been long ago, and that which is to be hath already been; and God seeketh that which is pursued.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/ecclesiastes/3.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />That which has been is now; and whatever things <i>are appointed</i> to be have already been; and God will seek out that which is past.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/ecclesiastes/3-15.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8-2fxj-VcEg?start=571" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/ecclesiastes/3.htm">God's Works Remain Forever</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">14</span>I 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. <span class="reftext">15</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/4100.htm" title="4100: mah- (Interrog) -- What? how? anything. ">What exists</a> <a href="/hebrew/3528.htm" title="3528: kə·ḇār (Adv) -- Already. From kabar; properly, extent of time, i.e. A great while; hence, long ago, formerly, hitherto.">has already</a> <a href="/hebrew/1931.htm" title="1931: hū (Pro-3ms) -- He, she, it. "></a> <a href="/hebrew/1961.htm" title="1961: še·hā·yāh (Pro-r:: V-Qal-Perf-3ms) -- To fall out, come to pass, become, be. A primitive root; to exist, i.e. Be or become, come to pass.">been,</a> <a href="/hebrew/834.htm" title="834: wa·’ă·šer (Conj-w:: Pro-r) -- Who, which, that. A primitive relative pronoun; who, which, what, that; also when, where, how, because, in order that, etc.">and what</a> <a href="/hebrew/1961.htm" title="1961: lih·yō·wṯ (Prep-l:: V-Qal-Inf) -- To fall out, come to pass, become, be. A primitive root; to exist, i.e. Be or become, come to pass.">will be</a> <a href="/hebrew/3528.htm" title="3528: kə·ḇār (Adv) -- Already. From kabar; properly, extent of time, i.e. A great while; hence, long ago, formerly, hitherto.">has already</a> <a href="/hebrew/1961.htm" title="1961: hā·yāh (V-Qal-Perf-3ms) -- To fall out, come to pass, become, be. A primitive root; to exist, i.e. Be or become, come to pass.">been,</a> <a href="/hebrew/430.htm" title="430: wə·hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm (Conj-w, Art:: N-mp) -- Plural of 'elowahh; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used of the supreme God">for God</a> <a href="/hebrew/1245.htm" title="1245: yə·ḇaq·qêš (V-Piel-Imperf-3ms) -- To seek. A primitive root; to search out; by implication, to strive after.">will call to account</a> <a href="/hebrew/853.htm" title="853: ’eṯ- (DirObjM) -- Apparent contracted from 'owth in the demonstrative sense of entity; properly, self."></a> <a href="/hebrew/7291.htm" title="7291: nir·dāp̄ (V-Nifal-Prtcpl-ms) -- To pursue, chase, persecute. A primitive root; to run after (of time) gone by).">what has passed.</a> </span><div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/46-9.htm">Isaiah 46:9-10</a></span><br />Remember what happened long ago, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me. / I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/1-8.htm">Revelation 1:8</a></span><br />“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come—the Almighty.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hebrews/13-8.htm">Hebrews 13:8</a></span><br />Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/malachi/3-6.htm">Malachi 3:6</a></span><br />“Because I, the LORD, do not change, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/james/1-17.htm">James 1:17</a></span><br />Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/90-2.htm">Psalm 90:2</a></span><br />Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/41-4.htm">Isaiah 41:4</a></span><br />Who has performed this and carried it out, calling forth the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD—the first and the last—I am He.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/22-13.htm">Revelation 22:13</a></span><br />I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/102-25.htm">Psalm 102:25-27</a></span><br />In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. / They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing You will change them, and they will be passed on. / But You remain the same, and Your years will never end.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/2_peter/3-8.htm">2 Peter 3:8</a></span><br />Beloved, do not let this one thing escape your notice: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/43-18.htm">Isaiah 43:18-19</a></span><br />“Do not call to mind the former things; pay no attention to the things of old. / Behold, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/24-35.htm">Matthew 24:35</a></span><br />Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/8-28.htm">Romans 8:28</a></span><br />And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/1-1.htm">Genesis 1:1</a></span><br />In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/acts/17-26.htm">Acts 17:26-28</a></span><br />From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands. / God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. / ‘For in Him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are His offspring.’</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">That which has been is now; and that which is to be has already been; and God requires that which is past.</p><p class="hdg">which hath</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/ecclesiastes/1-9.htm">Ecclesiastes 1:9,10</a></b></br> The thing that hath been, it <i>is that</i> which shall be; and that which is done <i>is</i> that which shall be done: and <i>there is</i> no new <i>thing</i> under the sun… </p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/proverbs/27-14.htm">Account</a> <a href="/ecclesiastes/2-16.htm">Ago</a> <a href="/ecclesiastes/2-16.htm">Already</a> <a href="/proverbs/21-6.htm">Driven</a> <a href="/proverbs/31-24.htm">Makes</a> <a href="/proverbs/27-12.htm">Passed</a> <a href="/proverbs/24-30.htm">Past</a> <a href="/psalms/143-3.htm">Pursued</a> <a href="/daniel/2-11.htm">Requireth</a> <a href="/ecclesiastes/3-6.htm">Search</a> <a href="/proverbs/31-13.htm">Seeketh</a> <a href="/proverbs/31-13.htm">Seeks</a> <a href="/ecclesiastes/3-14.htm">Whatever</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/ecclesiastes/7-27.htm">Account</a> <a href="/ecclesiastes/6-10.htm">Ago</a> <a href="/ecclesiastes/4-2.htm">Already</a> <a href="/isaiah/8-22.htm">Driven</a> <a href="/ecclesiastes/7-7.htm">Makes</a> <a href="/songs/2-11.htm">Passed</a> <a href="/songs/2-11.htm">Past</a> <a href="/isaiah/41-3.htm">Pursued</a> <a href="/daniel/2-11.htm">Requireth</a> <a href="/ecclesiastes/7-25.htm">Search</a> <a href="/ecclesiastes/7-28.htm">Seeketh</a> <a href="/ecclesiastes/7-28.htm">Seeks</a> <a href="/ecclesiastes/6-10.htm">Whatever</a><div class="vheading2">Ecclesiastes 3</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/3-1.htm">by the necessary change of times, vanity is added to human travail</a></span><br><span class="reftext">11. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/3-11.htm">is an excellence in God's works</a></span><br><span class="reftext">16. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/3-16.htm">as for man, God shall judge his works hereafter, though here he be like a beast</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/ecclesiastes/3.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/ecclesiastes/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/ecclesiastes/3.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>What exists has already been</b><br>This phrase reflects the cyclical nature of life and history, a theme prevalent in the wisdom literature of the Bible. It suggests that human experiences and events are not new but have occurred before. This echoes the idea found in <a href="/ecclesiastes/1-9.htm">Ecclesiastes 1:9</a>, "There is nothing new under the sun." Theologically, it underscores God's sovereignty and the repetitive patterns of human behavior and history. This concept can be seen in the recurring cycles of sin and redemption throughout the Old Testament, such as the Israelites' repeated turning away from and returning to God.<p><b>and what will be has already been</b><br>This continuation emphasizes the timelessness of God's plan and the predictability of human nature. It suggests that future events are not unknown to God and have, in a sense, already occurred in His divine foreknowledge. This aligns with the biblical understanding of God's omniscience, as seen in <a href="/isaiah/46-10.htm">Isaiah 46:10</a>, where God declares the end from the beginning. It also points to the prophetic nature of Scripture, where future events are often foreshadowed or prefigured in past events, such as the typology of Christ in the Old Testament sacrificial system.<p><b>for God will call to account what has passed</b><br>This phrase introduces the concept of divine judgment and accountability. It implies that God, in His justice, will review and judge past actions. This is consistent with the biblical theme of judgment found throughout Scripture, such as in <a href="/romans/14-12.htm">Romans 14:12</a>, where it states that each person will give an account of themselves to God. It also reflects the moral order established by God, where actions have consequences, and justice will ultimately be served. This assurance of divine accountability provides hope for believers, as it affirms that God will right all wrongs and bring about His righteous purposes.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/s/solomon.htm">Solomon</a></b><br>Traditionally considered the author of Ecclesiastes, Solomon was the son of King David and known for his wisdom. He reflects on the nature of time and God's sovereignty in this book.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/j/jerusalem.htm">Jerusalem</a></b><br>The central place of worship and governance during Solomon's reign, representing the heart of Israel's spiritual and political life.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_preacher.htm">The Preacher (Qoheleth)</a></b><br>The voice in Ecclesiastes, often identified with Solomon, who explores the meaning of life and the human experience under God's providence.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/g/god's_sovereignty_over_time.htm">God's Sovereignty Over Time</a></b><br>Recognize that God is in control of all time—past, present, and future. This understanding should bring comfort and trust in His divine plan.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/the_cyclical_nature_of_life.htm">The Cyclical Nature of Life</a></b><br>Life's events often repeat, and history has a way of coming full circle. This should encourage us to learn from the past and seek God's wisdom in our actions.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/a/accountability_before_god.htm">Accountability Before God</a></b><br>God will call to account what has passed. This truth should motivate us to live righteously and be mindful of our actions, knowing they are seen by God.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/e/eternal_perspective.htm">Eternal Perspective</a></b><br>Adopt an eternal perspective in daily life. Understanding that God sees the bigger picture can help us navigate challenges with faith and patience.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_ecclesiastes_3.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Ecclesiastes 3</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/is_god_a_human-made_explanation.htm">Isn't God just a human invention to explain the unknown?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/what_defines_an_eternal_state.htm">What defines an eternal state?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_does_ecclesiastes_3_11_expect_faith.htm">Ecclesiastes 3:11 suggests humans cannot fathom eternity; why would a divinely inspired book acknowledge this limitation yet expect faith in the unseen?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/compare_native_beliefs_and_christianity..htm">How do Native American beliefs and Christianity compare?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/ecclesiastes/3.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(15) <span class= "bld">Is now.</span>--Rather, <span class= "ital">was long ago.</span><p><span class= "bld">Requireth.</span>--<span class= "ital">Seeketh again</span>: <span class= "ital">i.e., </span>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.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/ecclesiastes/3.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 15.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">That which hath been is now</span>; so Septuagint; "That which hath been made, the same remaineth" (Vulgate); better, <span class="accented">that which hath been</span>, <span class="accented">long ago it is</span>; <span class="accented">i</span>.<span class="accented">e</span>. was in existence long before. The thought is much the same as in <a href="/ecclesiastes/1-9.htm">Ecclesiastes 1:9</a>, 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. <span class="cmt_word">That which is to be hath already been</span>. 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" (<a href="/revelation/1-8.htm">Revelation 1:8</a>), and therefore in effect history repeats itself; the same causes produce the same phenomena. <span class="cmt_word">God requireth that which is past</span>; literally, <span class="accented">God seeketh after that which hath been chased away</span>; Septuagint, "God will seek him who is pursued (<span class="greek">τὸν διωκόμενον</span>);" Vulgate, "God reneweth that which is passed (<span class="accented">instaurat quod abiit</span>)." 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. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/ecclesiastes/3-15.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">What exists</span><br /><span class="heb">מַה־</span> <span class="translit">(mah-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Interrogative<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4100.htm">Strong's 4100: </a> </span><span class="str2">What?, what!, indefinitely what</span><br /><br /><span class="word">has already</span><br /><span class="heb">כְּבָ֣ר</span> <span class="translit">(kə·ḇār)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adverb<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3528.htm">Strong's 3528: </a> </span><span class="str2">Extent of time, a great while, long ago, formerly, hitherto</span><br /><br /><span class="word">been,</span><br /><span class="heb">שֶּֽׁהָיָה֙</span> <span class="translit">(še·hā·yāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Pronoun - relative | Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1961.htm">Strong's 1961: </a> </span><span class="str2">To fall out, come to pass, become, be</span><br /><br /><span class="word">and what</span><br /><span class="heb">וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר</span> <span class="translit">(wa·’ă·šer)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - relative<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_834.htm">Strong's 834: </a> </span><span class="str2">Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that</span><br /><br /><span class="word">will be</span><br /><span class="heb">לִהְי֖וֹת</span> <span class="translit">(lih·yō·wṯ)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1961.htm">Strong's 1961: </a> </span><span class="str2">To fall out, come to pass, become, be</span><br /><br /><span class="word">has already</span><br /><span class="heb">כְּבָ֣ר</span> <span class="translit">(kə·ḇār)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adverb<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3528.htm">Strong's 3528: </a> </span><span class="str2">Extent of time, a great while, long ago, formerly, hitherto</span><br /><br /><span class="word">been,</span><br /><span class="heb">הָיָ֑ה</span> <span class="translit">(hā·yāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1961.htm">Strong's 1961: </a> </span><span class="str2">To fall out, come to pass, become, be</span><br /><br /><span class="word">for God</span><br /><span class="heb">וְהָאֱלֹהִ֖ים</span> <span class="translit">(wə·hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_430.htm">Strong's 430: </a> </span><span class="str2">gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative</span><br /><br /><span class="word">will call to account</span><br /><span class="heb">יְבַקֵּ֥שׁ</span> <span class="translit">(yə·ḇaq·qêš)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_1245.htm">Strong's 1245: </a> </span><span class="str2">To search out, to strive after</span><br /><br /><span class="word">what has passed.</span><br /><span class="heb">נִרְדָּֽף׃</span> <span class="translit">(nir·dāp̄)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7291.htm">Strong's 7291: </a> </span><span class="str2">To pursue, chase, persecute</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/ecclesiastes/3-15.htm">Ecclesiastes 3:15 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/ecclesiastes/3-15.htm">Ecclesiastes 3:15 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/ecclesiastes/3-15.htm">Ecclesiastes 3:15 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/ecclesiastes/3-15.htm">Ecclesiastes 3:15 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/ecclesiastes/3-15.htm">Ecclesiastes 3:15 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/ecclesiastes/3-15.htm">Ecclesiastes 3:15 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/ecclesiastes/3-15.htm">Ecclesiastes 3:15 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/ecclesiastes/3-15.htm">Ecclesiastes 3:15 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/ecclesiastes/3-15.htm">Ecclesiastes 3:15 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/ecclesiastes/3-15.htm">Ecclesiastes 3:15 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/ecclesiastes/3-15.htm">OT Poetry: Ecclesiastes 3:15 That which is has been long ago (Ecclesiast. Ec Ecc Eccles.) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/ecclesiastes/3-14.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Ecclesiastes 3:14"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Ecclesiastes 3:14" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/ecclesiastes/3-16.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Ecclesiastes 3:16"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Ecclesiastes 3:16" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>