New Living Translation
Ecclesiastes 11:4
4Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest.
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
2But divide your investments among many places, for you do not know what risks might lie ahead. 3When clouds are heavy, the rains come down. Whether a tree falls north or south, it stays where it falls. Farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant. If they watch every cloud, they never harvest. 5Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things. 6Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don’t know if profit will come from one activity or another—or maybe both.
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
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
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