Ecclesiastes 3:20
18 I said to myself, “As for the sons of men, God tests them so that they may see for themselves that they are but beasts.”
19 For the fates of both men and beasts are the same: As one dies, so dies the other—they all have the same breath. Man has no advantage over the animals, since everything is futile.
All go to one place; all come from dust, and all return to dust.
21 Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and the spirit of the animal descends into the earth?
22 I have seen that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will come after him?
Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- All go to one place; all come from dust, and all return to dust.
- KJV
- All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
- WEB
- All go to one place. All are from the dust, and all turn to dust again.
- ASV
- All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
- DARBY
- All go unto one place: all are of the dust, and all return to dust.
- BLB
- All are going to one place; all are from the dust, and all return to the dust.
- ÅB
- De farer alle til ett sted; de er alle blitt til av støvet, og de vender alle tilbake til støvet.
- OTB
- Alle vender tilbake til samme sted; alle kommer fra støv, og til støv vender alle tilbake.
- B1930
- De farer alle til ett sted; de er alle blitt til av støvet, og de vender alle tilbake til støvet.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Genesis 3:19
By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground— because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”
Read in contextJob 34:15
all flesh would perish together and mankind would return to the dust.
Read in contextEcclesiastes 12:7
before the dust returns to the ground from which it came and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
Read in contextNumbers 27:13
After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was;
Read in contextJob 10:9–10
Please remember that You molded me like clay. Would You now return me to dust?
Read in contextJob 7:9
As a cloud vanishes and is gone, so he who goes down to Sheol does not come back up.
Read in contextEcclesiastes 3:21
Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and the spirit of the animal descends into the earth?
Read in contextEcclesiastes 9:10
Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.
Read in context