Ecclesiastes 3:21
New International Version
Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”

New Living Translation
For who can prove that the human spirit goes up and the spirit of animals goes down into the earth?

English Standard Version
Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?

Berean Standard Bible
Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and the spirit of the animal descends into the earth?

King James Bible
Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

New King James Version
Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?

New American Standard Bible
Who knows that the spirit of the sons of mankind ascends upward and the spirit of the animal descends downward to the earth?

NASB 1995
Who knows that the breath of man ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth?

NASB 1977
Who knows that the breath of man ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth?

Legacy Standard Bible
Who knows that the breath of man ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth?

Amplified Bible
Who knows if the spirit of man ascends upward and the spirit of the animal descends downward to the earth?

Christian Standard Bible
Who knows if the spirits of the children of Adam go upward and the spirits of animals go downward to the earth?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Who knows if the spirit of people rises upward and the spirit of animals goes downward to the earth?

American Standard Version
Who knoweth the spirit of man, whether it goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast, whether it goeth downward to the earth?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And who knows if the spirit of the children of men ascends above, and the spirit of beasts descends under the earth?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And who has seen the spirit of the sons of man, whether it goes upward? and the spirit of the beast, whether it goes downward to the earth?

Contemporary English Version
Who really knows if our spirits go up and the spirits of animals go down into the earth?

Douay-Rheims Bible
Who knoweth if the spirit of the children of Adam ascend upward, and if the spirit of the beasts descend downward?

English Revised Version
Who knoweth the spirit of man whether it goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast whether it goeth downward to the earth?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Who knows whether a human spirit goes upward or whether an animal spirit goes downward to the earth?

Good News Translation
How can anyone be sure that the human spirit goes upward while an animal's spirit goes down into the ground?

International Standard Version
Who knows whether the spirit of human beings ascends, and whether the spirit of animals descends to the earth?

JPS Tanakh 1917
Who knoweth the spirit of man whether it goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast whether it goeth downward to the earth?

Literal Standard Version
Who knows the spirit of the sons of man that is going up on high, and the spirit of the beast that is going down below to the earth?

Majority Standard Bible
Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and the spirit of the animal descends into the earth?

New American Bible
Who knows if the life breath of mortals goes upward and the life breath of beasts goes earthward?

NET Bible
Who really knows if the human spirit ascends upward, and the animal's spirit descends into the earth?

New Revised Standard Version
Who knows whether the human spirit goes upward and the spirit of animals goes downward to the earth?

New Heart English Bible
Who knows the spirit of man, whether it goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, whether it goes downward to the earth?"

Webster's Bible Translation
Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

World English Bible
Who knows the spirit of man, whether it goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, whether it goes downward to the earth?”

Young's Literal Translation
Who knoweth the spirit of the sons of man that is going up on high, and the spirit of the beast that is going down below to the earth?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
From Dust to Dust
20All go to one place; all come from dust, and all return to dust. 21Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and the spirit of the animal descends into the earth? 22I 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?…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 28:13
The LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you will only move upward and never downward, if you hear and carefully follow the commandments of the LORD your God, which I am giving you today.

Ecclesiastes 12:7
before the dust returns to the ground from which it came and the spirit returns to God who gave it.


Treasury of Scripture

Who knows the spirit of man that goes upward, and the spirit of the beast that goes downward to the earth?

knoweth

Ecclesiastes 12:7
Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Luke 16:22,23
And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; …

John 14:3
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

of man that goeth upwards

Jump to Previous
Animal Ascends Beast Beasts Below Breath Children Descends Downward Downwards Earth Goes Heaven Rises Spirit Upward Upwards Whether
Jump to Next
Animal Ascends Beast Beasts Below Breath Children Descends Downward Downwards Earth Goes Heaven Rises Spirit Upward Upwards Whether
Ecclesiastes 3
1. by the necessary change of times, vanity is added to human travail
11. is an excellence in God's works
16. as for man, God shall judge his works hereafter, though here he be like a beast














(21) The LXX., followed by a great body of interpreters, ancient and modern, translate, "Who knoweth whether the spirit of man goeth upward?" &c, and this agrees better with the context of this paragraph. The sceptical thought is, "We see that death resolves into dust (Genesis 3:19; Ecclesiastes 12:7; see also Ecclesiasticus 41:10) the bodies of men and animals alike; and if it be alleged that there is a difference as to what becomes of their spirits, can this be asserted with the certainty of knowledge?" The writer here seems to have read both Psalm 49:14 and Proverbs 15:24.

. . .

Verse 21. - Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? The statement is here too categorically rendered, though, for dogmatical purposes, the Masorites seem to have punctuated the text with a view to such interpretation. But, as Wright and others point out, the analogy of two other passages (Ecclesiastes 2:19 and Ecclesiastes 6:12), where "who knoweth" occurs, intimates that the phrases which follow are interrogative. So the translation should be, "Who knoweth as regards the spirit (ruach) of the sons of men whether it goeth upward, and as regards the spirit (ruach) of the beast whether it goeth downward under the earth?" Vulgate, Quis novit si spiritus, etc.? Septuagint, Τίς εῖδε πνεῦμα υἱῶν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰ ἀναβαίνει αὐτὸ ἄνω; "Who ever saw the spirit of the sons of man, whether it goeth upward?" The Authorized Version, which gives the Masoretic reading, is supposed to harmonize better with the assertion at the end of the book (Ecclesiastes 12:7), that the spirit returns to the God who gave it. But there is no formal denial of the immortality of the soul in the present passage as we render it. The question, indeed, is not touched. The author is confirming his previous assertion that, in one point of view, man is not superior to brute. Now he says, looking at the matter merely externally, and taking not into consideration any higher notion, no one knows the destiny of the living powers, whether God deals differently with the spirit of man and of beast. Phenomenally, the principle of life in both is identical, and its cessation is identical; and what becomes of the spirit in either case neither eye nor mind can discover. The distinction which reason or religion assumes, viz. that man's spirit goes upward and the brute's downward, is incapable of proof, is quite beyond experience. What is meant by "upward" and "downward" may be seen by reference to the gnome in Proverbs 15:24, "To the wise the way of life goeth upward, that he may depart from Sheol beneath." The contrast shows that Sheol is regarded as a place of punishment or annihilation; this is further confirmed by Psalm 49:14, 15, "They are appointed as a flock for Sheol: death shall be their shepherd... their beauty shall be for Sheol to consume But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol; for he shall receive me." Koheleth neither denies nor affirms in this passage the immortality of the soul; that he believed in it we learn from other expressions; but he is not concerned with parading it here. Commentators quote Lucretius' sceptical thought ('De Rer. Nat.,' 1:113-116) -

"Ignoratur enim quae sit natura animal,
Nata sit, an contra nascentibus insinuetur,
Et simul interest nobiscum, morte dimenta,
An tenebras Orci visat vastasque lacunas."

"We know not what the nature of the soul,
Born in the womb, or at the birth infused,
Whether it dies with us, or wings its way
Unto the gloomy pools of Orcus vast."
But Koheleth's inquiry suggests the possibility of a different destiny for the spirits of man and brute, though he does not at this moment make any definite assertion on the subject. Later on he explains the view taken by the believer in Divine revelation (Ecclesiastes 12:7).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Who
מִ֣י (mî)
Interrogative
Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix

knows
יוֹדֵ֗עַ (yō·w·ḏê·a‘)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 3045: To know

if the spirit
ר֚וּחַ (rū·aḥ)
Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 7307: Wind, breath, exhalation, life, anger, unsubstantiality, a region of the sky, spirit

of man
בְּנֵ֣י (bə·nê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

rises
הָעֹלָ֥ה (hā·‘ō·lāh)
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 5927: To ascend, in, actively

upward
לְמָ֑עְלָה (lə·mā·‘ə·lāh)
Preposition-l | Adverb | third person feminine singular
Strong's 4605: The upper part, with prefix upward, above, overhead, from the top

and the spirit
וְר֙וּחַ֙ (wə·rū·aḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 7307: Wind, breath, exhalation, life, anger, unsubstantiality, a region of the sky, spirit

of the animal
הַבְּהֵמָ֔ה (hab·bə·hê·māh)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 929: A dumb beast, any large quadruped, animal

descends
הַיֹּרֶ֥דֶת (hay·yō·re·ḏeṯ)
Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine singular
Strong's 3381: To come or go down, descend

into the earth?
לָאָֽרֶץ׃ (lā·’ā·reṣ)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land


Links
Ecclesiastes 3:21 NIV
Ecclesiastes 3:21 NLT
Ecclesiastes 3:21 ESV
Ecclesiastes 3:21 NASB
Ecclesiastes 3:21 KJV

Ecclesiastes 3:21 BibleApps.com
Ecclesiastes 3:21 Biblia Paralela
Ecclesiastes 3:21 Chinese Bible
Ecclesiastes 3:21 French Bible
Ecclesiastes 3:21 Catholic Bible

OT Poetry: Ecclesiastes 3:21 Who knows the spirit of man whether (Ecclesiast. Ec Ecc Eccles.)
Ecclesiastes 3:20
Top of Page
Top of Page