Ecclesiastes 11:6

Ecclesiastes 11:6 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.
• New International Version (NIV)Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.
• English Standard Version (ESV)In the morning sow your seed, and at evening withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.
• New King James Version (NKJV)In the morning sow your seed, And in the evening do not withhold your hand; For you do not know which will prosper, Either this or that, Or whether both alike will be good.

Context of Ecclesiastes 11:6

4He who watches the wind will fail to sow, and he who observes the clouds will fail to reap. 5As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the bones are formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. Sow your seed in the morning, and do not rest your hands in the evening, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or if both will equally prosper. 7Light is sweet, and it pleases the eyes to see the sun. 8So if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all. But let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything to come is futile.

Ecclesiastes 11:6 word by word

בַּבֹּ֙קֶר֙ זְרַ֣ע אֶת־זַרְעֶ֔ךָ וְלָעֶ֖רֶב אַל־תַּנַּ֣ח יָדֶ֑ךָ כִּי֩ אֵֽינְךָ֨ יוֹדֵ֜ע אֵ֣י זֶ֤ה יִכְשָׁר֙ הֲזֶ֣ה אוֹ־זֶ֔ה וְאִם־שְׁנֵיהֶ֥ם כְּאֶחָ֖ד טוֹבִֽים׃Read the interlinear

• Sowזָרַעzâra‛ · to sowH2232
• ·אֵת'êth · [Obj.]H853
• your seedזֶ֫רַעzera‛ · seedH2233
• in the morningבֹּ֫קֶרbôqer · morningH1242
• and do notאַל'al · notH408
• restנוּחַnûach · to restH5117
• your handsיָדyâd · handH3027
• in the eveningעֶ֫רֶב‛ereb · eveningH6153
• forכִּיkîy · forH3588
• you do notאַ֫יִן'ayin · nothingH369
• knowיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
• whichאַי'ay · where?H335
• whichזֶהzeh · thisH2088
• will succeedכָּשֵׁרkâshêr · to succeedH3787
• orאוֹ'ô 'av · orH176
• or ifאִם'im · ifH518
• bothשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
• will equallyאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
• prosperטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896

Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 11:6

• Ecclesiastes 9:10Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.
• Isaiah 55:10For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return without watering the earth, making it bud and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat,
• Hosea 10:12Sow for yourselves righteousness and reap the fruit of loving devotion; break up your unplowed ground. For it is time to seek the LORD until He comes and sends righteousness upon you like rain.
• Mark 4:26Jesus also said, “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground.
• John 4:36Already the reaper draws his wages and gathers a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may rejoice together.
• 2 Corinthians 9:6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
• 2 Timothy 4:2Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction.
• Ecclesiastes 9:1So I took all this to heart and concluded that the righteous and the wise, as well as their deeds, are in God’s hands. Man does not know what lies ahead, whether love or hate.
• Haggai 1:6You have planted much but harvested little. You eat but never have enough. You drink but never have your fill. You put on clothes but never get warm. You earn wages to put into a bag pierced through.”
• Haggai 2:17I struck you—all the work of your hands—with blight, mildew, and hail, but you did not turn to Me, declares the LORD.
• Zechariah 8:11But now I will not treat the remnant of this people as I did in the past,” declares the LORD of Hosts.
• Acts 11:20But some of them, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began speaking to the Greeks as well, proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus.
• 1 Corinthians 3:5What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, as the Lord has assigned to each his role.
• 2 Corinthians 9:10Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your store of seed and will increase the harvest of your righteousness.

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 11:6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6In the morning sow thy seed - Be ready at all times to show mercy; begin in the morning, continue till the evening. Thou knowest not the most worthy object; it is enough that God knoweth; and if thy motive be good, he will applaud and reward thee; not according to the worthiness or unworthiness of the object of thy charity, but according to the motive which induced thee to relieve him.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3-6Verses 3-6 “Unforeseen events come from God; and the man who is always gazing on the uncertain future will neither begin nor complete any useful work: but do thou bear in mind that times and circumstances, the powers of nature and the results to which they minister, are in the hand of God; and be both diligent and trustful.” The images are connected chiefly with the occupation of an agricultural laborer: the discharge of rain from the cloud, and the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-6All profitable activities involve risk. We should act wisely and trust God for the outcome.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. morning ... evening--early and late; when young and when old; in sunshine and under clouds. seed--of godly works (Ho 10:12; 2Co 9:10; Ga 6:7). prosper--(Is 55:10, 11). both ... alike--Both the unpromising and the promising sowing may bear good fruit in others; certainly they shall to the faithful sower.Read the comment

Topics related to Ecclesiastes 11:6

• Agriculture
• Economics
• Industry
• Seed

In the dictionaries

• Childhood
• Empty
• Regard
• Remove

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings