Ecclesiastes 3:17I said in my heart, "God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work."
The setting
Jerusalem, ~950 BC. King Solomon in his palace, reflecting on life's injustices after decades of ruling. Modern Israel/Palestine.
The emotion here: wrestling with cosmic unfairness while clinging to divine justice
The original word
shaphat (שָׁפַט) — to govern, decide cases, bring justice through divine authority
Why it matters
Solomon judged 3,000 proverbs and had seen every form of human corruption in his court
Read with care
What most readers miss in Ecclesiastes 3:17
This follows his famous 'time for everything' passage — even injustice has its time limit
Common misconceptionPeople think this means God is slow or doesn't care about injustice. Solomon is actually saying God's justice is so thorough it requires perfect timing.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Ecclesiastes 3:17
Bible Genome reading
Ecclesiastes 3:17 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Ecclesiastes 3:17 comes from the book of Ecclesiastes, written during the United Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Solomon. The dominant emotion in this verse is deciding, with a comfort power of 60% and a tone that is reflective. It belongs to the wisdom genre of biblical literature. Key themes include divine justice, appointed times. Notable phrases: God will judge; time for every purpose.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same deciding
“"You shall have no other gods before me.”
— Deuteronomy 5:7
“"You shall not murder.”
— Exodus 20:13
“Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
— Matthew 23:12
“For God didn't give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and self-control.”
— 2 Timothy 1:7
“But Peter said, "Silver and gold have I none, but what I have, that I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk!"”
— Acts 3:6
Your reflection
What does Ecclesiastes 3:17 mean to you, today?
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