Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account. New Living Translation 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. English Standard Version That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away. Berean Standard Bible What exists has already been, and what will be has already been, for God will call to account what has passed. King James Bible That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past. New King James Version That which is has already been, And what is to be has already been; And God requires an account of what is past. New American Standard Bible That which is, is what has already been, and that which will be has already been; and God seeks what has passed by. NASB 1995 That which is has been already and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by. NASB 1977 That which is has been already, and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by. Legacy Standard Bible That which is has been already and that which will be has already been, yet God seeks what is pursued. Amplified Bible 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]. Christian Standard Bible Whatever is, has already been, and whatever will be, already is. However, God seeks justice for the persecuted. Holman Christian Standard Bible Whatever is, has already been, and whatever will be, already is. God repeats what has passed. American Standard Version 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. Contemporary English Version Everything that happens has happened before, and all that will be has already been--God does everything over and over again. English Revised Version That which is hath been already; and that which is to be hath already been: and God seeketh again that which is passed away. GOD'S WORD® Translation 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. Good News Translation Whatever happens or can happen has already happened before. God makes the same thing happen again and again. International Standard Version That which was, now is; and that which will be, already is; and God examines what has already taken place. Majority Standard Bible What exists has already been, and what will be has already been, for God will call to account what has passed. NET Bible 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. New Heart English Bible 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. Webster's Bible Translation That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past. World English Bible 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. Literal Translations Literal Standard VersionWhat is that which has been? Already it is, and that which [is] to be has already been, and God requires that which is pursued. Young's Literal Translation 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. Smith's Literal Translation What was, it is already; and what to be, was already; and God will seek him being driven away. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleThat which hath been made, the same continueth: the things that shall be, have already been: and God restoreth that which is past. Catholic Public Domain Version What has been made, the same continues. What is in the future, has already existed. And God restores what has passed away. New American Bible What now is has already been; what is to be, already is: God retrieves what has gone by. New Revised Standard Version That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already is; and God seeks out what has gone by. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleThat which is now, already has been; and that which is to be, has already been; and God will avenge him who has been persecuted. Peshitta Holy Bible Translated 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 OT Translations JPS Tanakh 1917That which is hath been long ago, and that which is to be hath already been; and God seeketh that which is pursued. Brenton Septuagint Translation That which has been is now; and whatever things are appointed to be have already been; and God will seek out that which is past. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context God's Works Remain Forever…14I 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. 15What exists has already been, and what will be has already been, for God will call to account what has passed. Cross References Isaiah 46:9-10 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.’ Revelation 1:8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and was and is to come—the Almighty. Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Malachi 3:6 “Because I, the LORD, do not change, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed. James 1:17 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. Psalm 90:2 Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God. Isaiah 41:4 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.” Revelation 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Psalm 102:25-27 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. 2 Peter 3:8 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. Isaiah 43:18-19 “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. Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away. Romans 8:28 And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose. Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Acts 17:26-28 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.’ Treasury of Scripture That which has been is now; and that which is to be has already been; and God requires that which is past. which hath Ecclesiastes 1:9,10 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun… Jump to Previous Account Ago Already Driven Makes Passed Past Pursued Requireth Search Seeketh Seeks WhateverJump to Next Account Ago Already Driven Makes Passed Past Pursued Requireth Search Seeketh Seeks WhateverEcclesiastes 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 What is This phrase refers to the present state of affairs or the current reality. In the Hebrew text, the word used is "הוּא" (hu), which is a simple pronoun meaning "it" or "this." Theologically, this suggests that the present is not isolated or unique but is part of a continuum. The present moment is deeply connected to the past and future, emphasizing the cyclical nature of time and events as ordained by God. This reflects the belief that God is sovereign over time, and nothing occurs outside His divine plan. has already been and what will be has already been for God will call to account what has passed Requireth.--Seeketh again: i.e., 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. Verse 15. - That which hath been is now; so Septuagint; "That which hath been made, the same remaineth" (Vulgate); better, that which hath been, long ago it is; i.e. was in existence long before. The thought is much the same as in Ecclesiastes 1:9, 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. That which is to be hath already been. 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" (Revelation 1:8), and therefore in effect history repeats itself; the same causes produce the same phenomena. God requireth that which is past; literally, God seeketh after that which hath been chased away; Septuagint, "God will seek him who is pursued (τὸν διωκόμενον);" Vulgate, "God reneweth that which is passed (instaurat quod abiit)." 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.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew What existsמַה־ (mah-) Interrogative Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what has already כְּבָ֣ר (kə·ḇār) Adverb Strong's 3528: Extent of time, a great while, long ago, formerly, hitherto been, שֶּֽׁהָיָה֙ (še·hā·yāh) Pronoun - relative | Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be and what וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר (wa·’ă·šer) Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - relative Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that will be לִהְי֖וֹת (lih·yō·wṯ) Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be has already כְּבָ֣ר (kə·ḇār) Adverb Strong's 3528: Extent of time, a great while, long ago, formerly, hitherto been, הָיָ֑ה (hā·yāh) Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be for God וְהָאֱלֹהִ֖ים (wə·hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm) Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine plural Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative will call to account יְבַקֵּ֥שׁ (yə·ḇaq·qêš) Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 1245: To search out, to strive after what has passed. נִרְדָּֽף׃ (nir·dāp̄) Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine singular Strong's 7291: To pursue, chase, persecute Links Ecclesiastes 3:15 NIVEcclesiastes 3:15 NLT Ecclesiastes 3:15 ESV Ecclesiastes 3:15 NASB Ecclesiastes 3:15 KJV Ecclesiastes 3:15 BibleApps.com Ecclesiastes 3:15 Biblia Paralela Ecclesiastes 3:15 Chinese Bible Ecclesiastes 3:15 French Bible Ecclesiastes 3:15 Catholic Bible OT Poetry: Ecclesiastes 3:15 That which is has been long ago (Ecclesiast. 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