1Cast your bread upon the waters; for you shall find it after many days. 2Give a share to seven, and also to eight; for you do not know what evil shall be on the earth. 3If the clouds are full of rain, they empty upon the earth; and if the tree falls toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it shall be. 4He who watches the wind will not sow; and he who pays attention to the clouds will not reap. 5As you do not know what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones grow in the womb of a pregnant woman; even 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 shall be blessed, either this or that, or whether they both alike shall be good. 7Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun. 8But if a man lives many years, and rejoices in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that has come is vanity. 9Rejoice in your youth, young man; 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 vexation from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh; for childhood and black hair of youth are vanity.
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 (
Eccl 11:1-
Eccl 11:10)
Eccl 11:2 shows that charity is here inculcated.
bread--bread corn. As in the Lord's prayer, all things needful for the body and soul. Solomon reverts to the sentiment (
Eccl 9:10).
waters--image from the custom of sowing seed by casting it from boats into the overflowing waters of the Nile, or in any marshy ground. When the waters receded, the grain in the alluvial soil sprang up (
Isa 32:20). "Waters" express multitudes, so
Eccl 11:2;
Rev 17:15; also the seemingly hopeless character of the recipients of the charity; but it shall prove at last to have been not thrown away (
Isa 49:4).
2 portion--of thy bread.
seven--the perfect number.
eight--even to more than seven; that is, "to many" (so "waters,"
Eccl 11:1), nay, even to very many in need (
Job 5:19;
Mic 5:5).
evil--The day may be near, when you will need the help of those whom you have bound to you by kindnesses (
Luke 16:9). The very argument which covetous men use against liberality (namely, that bad times may come), the wise man uses for it.
3 clouds--answering to "evil" (
Eccl 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 (
Eccl 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 (
Rev 22:11,
Rev 22:14-
Rev 22:15). Now is his time for liberality, before the evil days come (
Eccl 12:1).
4 Therefore sow thy charity in faith, without hesitancy or speculation as to results, because they may not seem promising (
Eccl 9:10). So in
Eccl 11:1, man is told to "cast his bread corn" on the seemingly unpromising "waters" (
Ps 126:5-
Ps 126:6). The farmer would get on badly, who, instead of sowing and reaping, spent his time in watching the wind and clouds.
5 spirit--How the soul animates the body! Thus the transition to the formation of the body "in the womb" is more natural, than if with MAURER we translate it "wind" (
Eccl 1:6;
John 3:8).
bones . . . grow-- (
Job 10:8-
Job 10:9;
Ps 139:15-
Ps 139:16).
knowest not the works of God-- (
Eccl 3:11;
Eccl 8:17;
Eccl 9:12).
6 morning . . . evening--early and late; when young and when old; in sunshine and under clouds.
seed--of godly works (
Hos 10:12;
2Cor 9:10;
Gal 6:7).
prosper-- (
Isa 55:10-
Isa 55:11).
both . . . alike--Both the unpromising and the promising sowing may bear good fruit in others; certainly they shall to the faithful sower.
7 light--of life (
Eccl 7:11;
Ps 49:19). Life is enjoyable, especially to the godly.
8 But while man thankfully enjoys life, "let him remember" it will not last for ever. The "many days of darkness," that is, the unseen world (
Job 10:21-
Job 10:22;
Ps 88:12), also days of "evil" in this world (
Eccl 11:2), are coming; therefore sow the good seed while life and good days last, which are not too long for accomplishing life's duties.
All that cometh--that is, All that followeth in the evil and dark days is vain, as far as work for God is concerned (
Eccl 9:10).
9 Rejoice--not advice, but warning. So
1Kgs 22:15, is irony; if thou dost rejoice (carnally,
Eccl 2:2;
Eccl 7:2, not moderately, as in
Eccl 5:18), &c., then "know that . . . God will bring thee into judgment" (
Eccl 3:17;
Eccl 12:14).
youth . . . youth--distinct Hebrew words, adolescence or boyhood (before
Eccl 11:10), and full-grown youth. It marks the gradual progress in self-indulgence, to which the young especially are prone; they see the roses, but do not discover the thorns, until pierced by them. Religion will cost self-denial, but the want of it infinitely more (
Luke 14:28).
10 sorrow--that is, the lusts that end in "sorrow," opposed to "rejoice," and "heart cheer thee" (
Eccl 11:9), Margin, "anger," that is, all "ways of thine heart"; "remove," &c., is thus opposed to "walk in," &c. (
Eccl 11:9).
flesh--the bodily organ by which the sensual thoughts of the "heart" are embodied in acts.
childhood--rather, "boyhood"; the same Hebrew word as the first, "youth" in
Eccl 11:9. A motive for self-restraint; the time is coming when the vigor of youth on which thou reliest, will seem vain, except in so far as it has been given to God (
Eccl 12:1).
youth--literally, the dawn of thy days.