New King James Version
Ecclesiastes 11:4
4He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who regards 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 Living Translation (NLT)Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.
Context of Ecclesiastes 11:4
2Give a serving to seven, and also to eight, For you do not know what evil will be on the earth. 3If 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. He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who regards the clouds will not reap. 5As you do not know what is the way of the wind, Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, So you do not know the works of God who makes everything. 6In 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.
Read all of Ecclesiastes 11Ecclesiastes 11:4 word by word
שֹׁמֵ֥ר ר֖וּחַ לֹ֣א יִזְרָ֑ע וְרֹאֶ֥ה בֶעָבִ֖ים לֹ֥א יִקְצֽוֹר׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Ecclesiastes 11:4
- Proverbs 3:27Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so.
- Proverbs 20:4The lazy man will not plow because of winter; He will beg during harvest and have nothing.
- Proverbs 22:13The lazy man says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!”
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 King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries