Ecclesiastes 11:3

Ecclesiastes 11:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.
• New International Version (NIV)If clouds are full of water, they pour rain on the earth. Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there it will lie.
• English Standard Version (ESV)If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
• New King James Version (NKJV)If the clouds are full of rain, They empty themselves upon the earth; And if a tree falls to the south or the north, In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie.

Context of Ecclesiastes 11:3

1Freely give your things to other people. If you do that, one day you will receive your things back again. 2Share your things with several other people. You do not know when trouble will come. Then those people can help you. When clouds are full of water, rain will fall on the earth. If a tree falls to the ground, it will stay there, in the same place. 4A farmer who waits for the right wind will never plant any seeds. If he is always looking at the clouds, he will never bring in his crops. 5We do not know the path that the wind blows along. Nor do we know how a baby's body grows inside a pregnant woman. So nobody can explain the things that God does. He is the one who has made everything.

Ecclesiastes 11:3 word by word

אִם־יִמָּלְא֨וּ הֶעָבִ֥ים גֶּ֙שֶׁם֙ עַל־הָאָ֣רֶץ יָרִ֔יקוּ וְאִם־יִפּ֥וֹל עֵ֛ץ בַּדָּר֖וֹם וְאִ֣ם בַּצָּפ֑וֹן מְק֛וֹם שֶׁיִּפּ֥וֹל הָעֵ֖ץ שָׁ֥ם יְהֽוּא׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• If the cloudsעָב‛âb · cloudH5645
• be fullמָלֵאmâlê' mâlâ' · to fillH4390
• of rainגֶּ֫שֶׁםgeshem · rainH1653
• they emptyרִיקrûq · to emptyH7324
• upon the earthאֶ֫רֶץ'erets · land: country/planetH776
• and if the treeעֵץ‛êts · treeH6086
• fallנָפַלnâphal · to fall: fallH5307
• toward the southדָּרוֹםdârôm · southH1864
• or toward the northצָפוֹןtsâphôn tsâphôn · northH6828
• in the placeמָקוֹםmâqôm mâqôm meqômâh meqômâh · placeH4725
• there it shall beהָוָהhâvâ' hâvâh · to beH1933

Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 11:3

• 1 Kings 18:45As Elijah said this, the sky became very dark with black clouds. The wind started to blow and there was a heavy storm of rain. King Ahab rode away towards Jezreel.
• Psalms 65:9You take care of the land. You send rain to make the earth good for plants. Your rivers are full of water. You cause the earth to give good crops so that the people have grain to eat.
• Isaiah 55:10The rain and the snow come down from the sky, and they do not immediately return there. Instead, they give water to the earth, so that crops will grow there. Then the farmer has seeds to plant, and people have food to eat.
• 1 John 3:17When another believer has trouble, we need to be kind to him. Maybe you have all the things that you need to live. If you see another believer who needs things like that, you should help him. If you refuse to be kind to him, it shows that you do not belong to God. You do not love people in the way that God loves them.
• Matthew 3:10You are like trees that have bad fruit. God has an axe ready to use. He will cut down every tree that does not make good fruit. He will throw those trees into the fire.
• Luke 13:7So he said to his gardener, “Look, for three years, I have come to look for fruit on this tree. But I have never found any. So cut the tree down! I do not think that it should be here. It is wasting the ground.”
• Luke 16:22Then Lazarus died and God's angels carried him away. They put him at the side of Abraham in heaven. The rich man then also died and his family buried him in the ground.

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 11:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3If the clouds be full of rain - Act as the clouds; when they are full they pour out their water indifferently on the field and on the desert. By giving charity indiscriminately, it may be that thou wilt often give it to the unworthy: but thou shouldst ever consider that he is an object of thy charity, who appears to be in real want; and better relieve or give to a hundred worthless persons, than pass by one who is in real distress. Where the tree falleth…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. 3clouds...rain: We can often predict what will happen. a tree...will lie: Our actions sometimes have permanent consequences.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. clouds--answering to "evil" (Ec 11:2), meaning, When the times of evil are fully ripe, evil must come; and speculations about it beforehand, so as to prevent one sowing seed of liberality, are vain (Ec 11:4). tree--Once the storm uproots it, it lies either northward or southward, according as it fell. So man's character is unchangeable, whether for hell or heaven, once that death overtakes him (Re 22:11, 14, 15). Now is his time for liberality, before…Read the comment

Topics related to Ecclesiastes 11:3

• Meteorology and Celestial Phenomena

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