Ecclesiastes — Chapter 11
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1Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.
2Divide your portion among seven, or even eight, for you do not know what disaster may befall the land.
3If the clouds are full, they will pour out rain upon the earth; whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, in the place where it falls, there it will lie.
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.
6Sow 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.
9Rejoice, O young man, while you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.
10So banish sorrow from your heart, and cast off pain from your body, for youth and vigor are fleeting.
1Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.
2Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.
3If 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.
4He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
5As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.
6In 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.
7Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:
8But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.
9Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.
10Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.
1Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days.
2Give a portion to seven, yea, even unto eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.
3If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth; and if a tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there shall it be.
4He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
5As thou knowest not what is the way of the wind, [nor] how the bones [do grow] in the womb of her that is with child; even so thou knowest not the work of God who doeth all.
6In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thy hand; for thou knowest not which shall prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.
7Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun.
8Yea, if a man live many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.
9Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.
10Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh; for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.
1Send your grain overseas, for after many days you will get a return.
2Divide your merchandise among seven or even eight investments, for you do not know what calamity may happen on earth.
3If the clouds are full of rain, they will empty themselves on the earth, and whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, the tree will lie wherever it falls.
4He who watches the wind will not sow, and he who observes the clouds will not reap.
5Just as you do not know the path of the wind or how the bones form in the womb of a pregnant woman, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.
6Sow your seed in the morning, and do not stop working until the evening; for you do not know which activity will succeed— whether this one or that one, or whether both will prosper equally.
7Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for a person to see the sun.
8So, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all, but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many—all that is about to come is obscure.
9Rejoice, young man, while you are young, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes, but know that God will judge your motives and actions.
10Banish emotional stress from your mind and put away pain from your body; for youth and the prime of life are fleeting.
1Cast your bread on the waters; for you shall find it after many days.
2Give a portion to seven, yes, even to eight; for you don’t know what evil will be on the earth.
3If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth; and if a tree falls toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falls, there shall it be.
4He who observes the wind won’t sow; and he who regards the clouds won’t reap.
5As you don’t know what is the way of the wind, nor how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child; even so you don’t know the work of God who does all.
6In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening don’t withhold your hand; for you don’t know which will prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both will be equally good.
7Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to see the sun.
8Yes, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that comes is vanity.
9Rejoice, young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth, and walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.
10Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh; for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.
Summary
The Preacher urges bold, generous action — sending one's resources out freely and diversifying efforts among several ventures, since no one can predict what disaster might come (vv. 1-2). He observes that natural events like rainfall and a falling tree follow their own course beyond human control, and that a farmer too preoccupied with watching the wind and clouds will never sow or reap (vv. 3-4). Since people cannot understand the mystery of how life forms in the womb any more than they understand God's work as a whole, he counsels sowing seed both morning and evening without knowing in advance which effort will succeed (vv. 5-6). He closes by encouraging the young to enjoy life's light and their youthful years fully, while remembering that God will hold them accountable for how they live and that both youth and life itself pass quickly (vv. 7-10).
Authorship & Background
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik emphasizes that vv.1-6 are Ecclesiastes' answer to paralysis: since you cannot control outcomes (ch.9) and cannot understand God's ways (ch.8), the wise response is not inaction but bold, diversified effort. "Cast thy bread" means venture forth — take the risk. Waiting for certainty means never acting. On v.9, Guzik notes that the command to rejoice is not sarcasm or permission for sin — it is a genuine endorsement of youthful joy paired with a genuine warning about accountability. Both halves are equally serious.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Ecclesiastes -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Giving Generously Without a Guaranteed Return (v.1) — The Preacher urges casting bread on the water, trusting it will come back after many days even though you can't see how. What generous act are you holding back on because you can't guarantee the payoff?
- Waiting for Perfect Conditions That Never Come (v.4) — He warns that whoever watches the wind will never sow, and whoever watches the clouds will never reap. What are you postponing until circumstances feel ideal, when they may never feel that way?
- Sowing in Both Morning and Evening (v.6) — Since no one knows which effort will succeed, the Preacher recommends working diligently at multiple points rather than betting everything on one attempt. Are you spreading your faithful effort across more than one place, or waiting on a single outcome to prove itself?
- Real Joy Under Real Accountability (v.9) — He tells the young to let their heart cheer them and follow where heart and eyes lead, while remembering that God will bring them into judgment for all of it. Does your pursuit of enjoyment carry any sense that it's lived before God, or has it become disconnected from accountability?
- Youth Doesn't Last (v.10) — He counsels removing anxiety from the heart and putting away what harms the body, since youth and vigor themselves are fleeting. What worry or harmful habit is quietly using up years of vitality you won't get back?