Ecclesiastes 8:6

6 Because for every will there is time and judgment, because the evil of man is great upon him,

Ecclesiastes 8:6 Meaning and Commentary

Ecclesiastes 8:6

Because to every purpose there is time and judgment
There is a fit season, and a right and proper manner of doing everything that is to be done; see ( Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ) ; which a wise man discerns; and which when a man hits upon, it prevents a great deal of mischief, which for want of it comes upon men, as the following clause shows; some refer this to the punishment of the wicked, and to a future judgment. So the Targum,

``to every business there is a time good and evil, and according to the judgment of truth the whole world is judged;''
and to the same purpose Jarchi,
``there is a time fixed for the visitation of the wicked, and there is judgment before the Lord; this is vengeance or punishment;''
therefore the misery of man [is] great upon him;
he not observing the right time and manner of doing what he ought, brings much trouble upon himself; his days are few and full trouble, and every day has a sufficiency of evil in because of the evil of sin, the evil of misery presses upon him, and is a heavy burden on him Jarchi's note is,
``when the wickedness of a man is great, then cometh his visitation.''

Ecclesiastes 8:6 In-Context

4 because the word of the king is his power and who may say unto him, What doest thou?
5 Whosoever keeps the commandment shall experience no evil thing, and a wise man’s heart discerns both time and judgment.
6 Because for every will there is time and judgment, because the evil of man is great upon him,
7 for he does not know that which shall be; nor when it shall be. Who will teach it to him?
8 There is no man that has power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither does he have power over the day of death, and weapons are of no use in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.
The Jubilee Bible (from the Scriptures of the Reformation), edited by Russell M. Stendal, Copyright © 2000, 2001, 2010