Ecclesiastes 3:6a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
The setting
Jerusalem, ~950 BC. Solomon, having gained and lost more than anyone, reflects on possession. Modern Israel/Palestine.
The emotion here: melancholy from a lifetime of gaining and losing kingdoms, wealth, and relationships
The original word
bāqaš (בקש) — to seek earnestly, search diligently with persistent effort
Why it matters
Ancient Near Eastern kings often buried treasure during wars, then searched for it later - many never found what they hid
Read with care
What most readers miss in Ecclesiastes 3:6
The parallelism isn't random - seeking and losing are active choices, not just things that happen to you
Common misconceptionPeople think this means be passive about loss, but both seeking and losing require intentional action - sometimes you must choose to stop searching.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Ecclesiastes 3:6
Bible Genome reading
Ecclesiastes 3:6 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Ecclesiastes 3:6 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 40% and a tone that is reflective. It belongs to the wisdom genre of biblical literature. Key themes include timing, gaining, losing. Notable phrases: time to seek; time to lose.
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 3:6 mean to you, today?
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