Ecclesiastes 3:20 Meaning and Explanation
“All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →All living things come from the dust and return to it in death.
What Does Ecclesiastes 3:20 Mean?
The Preacher states the plain fact of the grave. Every creature shares one destination for the body; all were formed of dust and to dust they return. The words echo the Creator's own pronouncement at the beginning, when the ground first gave and then reclaimed the body of man.
This is mortality spoken without flinching. Our bodies are borrowed earth, and the soil will have them back. Yet the same Scripture that says we are dust also tells how God breathed life into dust at the first. The God who once formed us from the ground is not defeated by it, and the dust that claims the body is not beyond the reach of the One who made it live.
Ecclesiastes 3:20 in the Original Language
aphar (עָפָר), 'dust' -- dry earth or soil, the same word used when God formed the man from the ground.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ecclesiastes 3:20
What does Ecclesiastes 3:20 mean?
All living things come from the dust and return to it in death.