Albert Barnes Commentary Ecclesiastes 3:15

"That which is hath been long ago; and that which is to be hath long ago been: and God seeketh again that which is passed away." — Ecclesiastes 3:15 (ASV)

Rather, what has been – what was before – and what will be, has been before. The word 'is' in the King James Version is incorrectly printed in Roman letters; it does not exist in the Hebrew (and so should have been italicized); and the word translated there as 'now' is the same word that is also translated as 'already.'

Requireth – that is, it requires for judgment, as the word specifically means in 2 Samuel 4:11 and Ezekiel 3:18... It is clear from the context of the last clause of Ecclesiastes 3:14, and from Ecclesiastes 3:16-17, that this is the meaning here.

Past – literally, 'put to flight.'

The meaning of the verse is that there is a connection between events – past, present, and future – and that this connection exists in the justice of God who controls all.