The Meaning of Ecclesiastes 3:8 Explained

Ecclesiastes 3:8

KJV: A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

YLT: A time to love, And a time to hate. A time of war, And a time of peace.

Darby: A time to love, and a time to hate; A time of war, and a time of peace.

ASV: a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

A time  to love,  and a time  to hate;  a time  of war,  and a time  of peace. 

What does Ecclesiastes 3:8 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Ecclesiastes 3

1  by the necessary change of times, vanity is added to human travail
11  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 do the individual words in Ecclesiastes 3:8 mean?

a time to love and a time to hate a time of war and a time of peace -
עֵ֤ת לֶֽאֱהֹב֙ וְעֵ֣ת לִשְׂנֹ֔א עֵ֥ת מִלְחָמָ֖ה וְעֵ֥ת שָׁלֽוֹם ס

עֵ֤ת  a  time 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: עֵת  
Sense: time.
לֶֽאֱהֹב֙  to  love 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: אָהַב  
Sense: to love.
וְעֵ֣ת  and  a  time 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, common singular
Root: עֵת  
Sense: time.
לִשְׂנֹ֔א  to  hate 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: שָׂנֵא  
Sense: to hate, be hateful.
עֵ֥ת  a  time 
Parse: Noun, common singular construct
Root: עֵת  
Sense: time.
מִלְחָמָ֖ה  of  war 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִלְחָמָה  
Sense: battle, war.
וְעֵ֥ת  and  a  time 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, common singular construct
Root: עֵת  
Sense: time.
שָׁלֽוֹם  of  peace 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁלֹום  
Sense: completeness, soundness, welfare, peace.
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation