Bible Strands
Ecclesiastes 1:4
Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The Teacher addresses readers in Ecclesiastes, framing a rhetorical question about human labor in verse 3 before describing natural cycles in verse 4.
The words — The Hebrew דּוֹר (Dor, “generation”) pairs with הֹלֵךְ (ho.leKh, “going”) and בָּא (Ba', “coming”) to mark human cycles, while אָרֶץ ('A.retz, “earth”) stands with עֹמָדֶת ('o.Ma.det, “continuing”) and לְעוֹלָם (le-'o.Lam, “forever”) to state the land’s permanence.
The thread — The earth’s enduring presence parallels Psalms 104:5, which declares God set the earth on foundations never to be moved, while Ecclesiastes 6:12 describes human life as a fleeting shadow and Zechariah 1:5 asks where former fathers and prophets are now.
Why it lands — The text observes that human life is brief and repetitive while the physical world persists, asking readers to recognize the limits of earthly achievement against unchanging creation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
Cross-references
- Psalms 104:5 He set the earth on its foundations, never to be moved.
- Ecclesiastes 6:12 For 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?
- Zechariah 1:5 Where are your fathers now? And the prophets, do they live forever?
- Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.
- Psalms 119:90 Your faithfulness continues through all generations; You established the earth, and it endures.
- Psalms 89:47 Remember the briefness of my lifespan! For what futility You have created all men!
- Psalms 102:24 I say: “O my God, do not take me in the midst of my days! Your years go on through all generations.
- 2 Peter 3:10 But 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.
- Genesis 5:3 When Adam was 130 years old, he had a son in his own likeness, after his own image; and he named him Seth.
- Psalms 90:9 For all our days decline in Your fury; we finish our years with a sigh.