Ecclesiastes 3:17-19

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

¹⁷I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time [appointed] for every matter and purpose and for every work.

¹⁸I said in my heart regarding the subject of the sons of men, God is trying (separating and sifting) them, that they may see that by themselves [under the sun, without God] they are but like beasts.

¹⁹For that which befalls the sons of men befalls beasts; even [in the end] one thing befalls them both. As the one dies, so dies the other. Yes, they all have one breath and spirit, so that a ^[a]man has no preeminence over a beast; for all is vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility)!

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Footnotes

Ecclesiastes 3:19 Does the Bible really teach that “a man has no preeminence over a beast”? No! The Bible only records that the book of Ecclesiastes says it. Then why is this book in the Bible? Can it possibly be called inspired by God when it makes such “under the sun” pronouncements, some only partially true, others entirely false? Here is the tested answer: “Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching ... reproof... correction, for instruction... in righteousness.” (II Tim. 3:16 asv.) The divine purpose in including Ecclesiastes in the Bible is obvious. It gives a startling picture of how fatal it is for even the wisest of men to substitute man’s “wisdom” for God’s wisdom, and to attempt to live by it. Solomon’s reign began with God, gold, and glory. It ended with bafflement, brass, and bewildered acceptance of man’s having “no preeminence over a beast”!—man, who was made “in the image and likeness of God” (Gen. 1:27) and “but little lower than God [or heavenly beings]”! (Ps. 8:5.)