Ecclesiastes 3:17

17 And I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the ungodly: for there is a time there for every action and for every work.

Ecclesiastes 3:17 Meaning and Commentary

Ecclesiastes 3:17

I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the
wicked
This he considered in his mind, and set it down for a certain truth, and which relieved him under the consideration of the sad perversion of justice; and made him easy under it, and willing to leave things to him that judgeth righteously, and wait his time when everything that was now wrong would be set right: he knew from reason, from tradition, and from the word of God, that there was a judgment to come, a general, righteous, and eternal one; that this judicial process would be carried on by God himself, who is holy, righteous, just, and true, omniscient, and omnipotent; and, being the Judge of all the earth, would do right; when he would vindicate the righteous, and clear them from all calumnies and charges; acquit and justify them, and condemn the wicked, pass a just sentence on them, and execute it; for [there is] a time there for every purpose, and for every work;
or "then", as Noldius; in the day of the great judgment, as the Targum adds; and which continues to paraphrase the words thus,

``for a time is appointed for every business, and for every work which they do in this world they shall be judged there;''

there is a time fixed, a day appointed, for the judgment of the world; though of that day and hour knows no man; yet, it is settled, and will certainly come, ( Acts 17:31 ) ( Matthew 24:36 ) ; and when it is come, every purpose, counsel, and thought of men's hearts, will be made manifest, as well as every work, good or bad, open or secret, yea, every idle word, and men will be judged according to these; see ( 1 Corinthians 4:5 ) ( 2 Corinthians 5:10 ) ( Ecclesiastes 12:14 ) ( Matthew 12:36 Matthew 12:37 ) ( Jude 1:14 Jude 1:15 ) .

Ecclesiastes 3:17 In-Context

15 That which has been is now; and whatever things to be have already been; and God will seek out that which is past.

16 And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, there was the ungodly one; and the place of righteousness, there was the godly one.

17 And I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the ungodly: for there is a time there for every action and for every work.

18 I said in my heart, concerning the speech of the sons of man, God will judge them, and that to shew that they are breasts.

19 Also to them is the event of the sons of man, and the event of the brute; one event befalls them: as is the death of the one, so also the death of the other; and there is one breath to all: and what has the man more than the brute? nothing; for all is vanity.