Ecclesiastes 1:4

BSB · Public Domain (CC0)

“Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.”

What this verse means

A short, plain-language explanation of Ecclesiastes 1:4 goes here — the kind of answer a reader (or an AI assistant) can quote in one breath. Original meaning coming soon.

Compare translations
BSBPD

“Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.”

Berean Standard Bible · Public Domain (CC0)
KJVPD

“One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.”

King James Version · Public Domain
ASVPD

“One generation goeth, and another generation cometh; but the earth abideth for ever.”

American Standard Version · Public Domain
YLTPD

“A generation is going, and a generation is coming, and the earth to the age is standing.”

Young's Literal Translation · Public Domain
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Cross references

Other passages that echo Ecclesiastes 1:4 — 16 related verses from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  1. Genesis 5:3When Adam was 130 years old, he had a son in his own likeness, after his own image; and he named him Seth.
  2. Genesis 11:20When Reu was 32 years old, he became the father of Serug.
  3. Genesis 36:9This is the account of Esau, the father of the Edomites, in the area of Mount Seir.
  4. Genesis 47:9“My travels have lasted 130 years,” Jacob replied. “My years have been few and hard, and they have not matched the years of the travels of my fathers.”
  5. Exodus 1:6Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died,
  6. Exodus 6:16These were the names of the sons of Levi according to their records: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived 137 years.
  7. Psalms 89:47Remember the briefness of my lifespan! For what futility You have created all men!
  8. Psalms 90:9For all our days decline in Your fury; we finish our years with a sigh.
  9. Psalms 102:24I say: “O my God, do not take me in the midst of my days! Your years go on through all generations.
  10. Psalms 104:5He set the earth on its foundations, never to be moved.
  11. Psalms 119:90Your faithfulness continues through all generations; You established the earth, and it endures.
  12. Ecclesiastes 6:12For who knows what is good for a man during the few days in which he passes through his fleeting life like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will come after him under the sun?
  13. Zechariah 1:5Where are your fathers now? And the prophets, do they live forever?
  14. Matthew 24:35Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.
  15. Luke 20:32And last of all, the woman died.
  16. 2 Peter 3:10But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and its works will be laid bare.

Cross-reference data: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain) via OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).

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