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. 20 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?
Ecclesiastes 3:19–21
Semantically similar passages
Ecclesiastes 12:6–8
6 Remember Him before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl is crushed, before the pitcher is shattered at the spring and the wheel is broken at the well, 7 before the dust returns to the ground from which it came and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
Ecclesiastes 9:2–4
2 It is the same for all: There is a common fate for the righteous and the wicked, for the good and the bad, for the clean and the unclean, for the one who sacrifices and the one who does not. As it is for the good, so it is for the sinner; as it is for the one…
Job 14:9–11
9 at the scent of water it will bud and put forth twigs like a sapling. 10 But a man dies and is laid low; he breathes his last, and where is he? 11 As water disappears from the sea and a river becomes parched and dry,
Ecclesiastes 2:15–17
15 So I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will also befall me. What then have I gained by being wise?” And I said to myself that this too is futile. 16 For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise, just as with the fool, seeing that both will be forgotten in… 17 …
Job 34:14–16
14 If He were to set His heart to it and withdraw His Spirit and breath, 15 all flesh would perish together and mankind would return to the dust. 16 If you have understanding, hear this; listen to my words.
Psalms 49:11–13
11 Their graves are their eternal homes— their dwellings for endless generations— even though their lands were their namesakes. 12 But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure; he is like the beasts that perish. 13 This is the fate of the self-confident and their follow…
Ecclesiastes 5:15–17
15 As a man came from his mother’s womb, so he will depart again, naked as he arrived. He takes nothing for his labor to carry in his hands. 16 This too is a grievous evil: Exactly as a man is born, so he will depart. What does he gain as he toils for the wind? 17 Moreo…
Wisdom of Solomon 7:5–7
5 For no king had a different beginning, (WEB) 6 but all men have one entrance into life, and a common departure. (WEB) 7 For this cause I prayed, and understanding was given to me. I asked, and a spirit of wisdom came to me. (WEB)
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