New American Standard Bible 1995
Ecclesiastes 11:4
4He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap.
Ecclesiastes 11:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
- New International Version (NIV)Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
- English Standard Version (ESV)He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap.
- New King James Version (NKJV)He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who regards the clouds will not reap.
Context of Ecclesiastes 11:4
2Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what misfortune may occur on the earth. 3If the clouds are full, they pour out rain upon the earth; and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it lies. He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap. 5Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things. 6Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.
Read all of Ecclesiastes 11Ecclesiastes 11:4 word by word
שֹׁמֵ֥ר ר֖וּחַ לֹ֣א יִזְרָ֑ע וְרֹאֶ֥ה בֶעָבִ֖ים לֹ֥א יִקְצֽוֹר׃Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 11:4
Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 11:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4He that observeth the wind shall not sow! - The man that is too scrupulous is never likely to succeed in any thing. If a man neither plough nor sow till the weather is entirely to his mind, the season will in all probability pass before he will have done any thing: so, if thou be too nice in endeavoring to find out who are the impostors among those who profess to be in want, the real object may perish, whom otherwise thou mightest have relieved, and whose…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. 44. Therefore sow thy charity in faith, without hesitancy or speculation as to results, because they may not seem promising (Ec 9:10). So in Ec 11:1, man is told to "cast his bread corn" on the seemingly unpromising "waters" (Psa 126:5, 6). The farmer would get on badly, who, instead of sowing and reaping, spent his time in watching the wind and clouds.Read the comment
Topics related to Ecclesiastes 11:4
In the dictionaries
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
New American Standard Bible 1995 — © 1960–1995 The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
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