Geneva Study Bible Commentary
Ecclesiastes 11:4
He that observeth the (d) wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
(d) He who fears inconveniences when need requires will never do his duty.
He that observeth the (d) wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
(d) He who fears inconveniences when need requires will never do his duty.
Verse Ecclesiastes 11:4. _HE 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 entire...
“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 p...
CHAPTER 11 _ 1. Proverbs concerning man's work(Ecclesiastes 11:1)_ 2. The vanity of life (Ecclesiastes 11:7) Ecclesiastes 11:1. These continued proverbs concern the work of m
ECCLESIASTES 11:1 TO ECCLESIASTES 12:8. CLOSING COUNSELS. It is well to do and to get all one can, in the way of industry and pleasure, before old age draws on. Ecclesiastes 11:1 and...
WIND. Hebrew. _ruach._ App-9. SHALL NOT SOW. SHALL NOT REAP. The ploughing must be done when the early rains have come, even in the face of storm and tempest; otherwise there will be no reaping after...
_He that observeth the wind shall not sow_ This is, as has been said above, the answer to the question suggested in Ecclesiastes 11:3. Our ignorance of the future is not to put a stop to action. If we...
HE THAT OBSERVETH THE WIND, &C.— The _first precept,_ or _advice,_ contained in Ecclesiastes 11:1 has a retrospect to the first proposition; and might be thus expressed, if we were not to make use of...
F. EXHORTATIONS TO WORK IN HARMONY WITH Wisdom 11:112:8 1. Trust God and be cheerful in all of your activities. Ecclesiastes 11:1-8 TEXT 11:1-8 1 Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for...
_HE THAT OBSERVETH THE WIND SHALL NOT SOW; AND HE THAT REGARDETH THE CLOUDS SHALL NOT REAP._ No JFB commentary on this verse....
LIFE AFTER ALL IS WORTH LIVING 1-3. Fulfil the duty of beneficence, knowing that results are in the hands of God....
THE TEACHER SEARCHES FOR THE PURPOSE OF OUR LIVES BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES _HILDA BRIGHT AND KITTY PRIDE_ CHAPTER 11 THE KNOWLEDGE OF HUMAN BEINGS HAS LIMITS – ECCLESIASTES 11:1-6 V1 Throw your bre...
But it is idle to try to guard against all possibilities of failure. To demand a certainty of success before acting would mean not to act at all....
שֹׁמֵ֥ר ר֖וּחַ לֹ֣א יִזְרָ֑ע וְ רֹאֶ֥ה בֶ
BUT IN A WISE USE AND A WISE ENJOYMENT OF THE PRESENT LIFE, Ecclesiastes 11:1 What that Good is, and where it may be found, the Preacher now proceeds to show. But, as his manner is, he does not say i...
FOURTH SECTION The Quest Achieved. The Chief Good Is To Be Found, Not In Wisdom, Nor In Pleasure, Nor In Devotion To Affairs And Its Rewards; But In A Wise Use And A Wise Enjoyment Of The Present Li...
LIVE NOT FOR TODAY ALONE Ecclesiastes 11:1-10 The casting of bread upon the waters is an allusion to the oriental custom of casting rice-grains on the fields, when they lie submerged beneath the annu...
The method of worldly wisdom is not that of discretion only; it is, moreover, that of diligence, and this passage urges such diligence. Again, we have taken more than one text out of this passage to p...
_Reap. Those who are too circumspect in their alms-deeds, will often pass over such as stand in need, (St. Jerome) and people who reflect on the difficulties of a virtuous life, will never begin. (St....
If 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. (4) He that obs...
THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 1 THROUGH 12. The Book of Ecclesiastes is, up to a certain point, the converse of the Book of Proverbs. (see NOTE TO PROVERBS below) It is the experience of a...
HE THAT OBSERVETH THE WIND SHALL NOT SOW,.... Who before he sows his seed is careful to observe where the wind is, from what corner it blows, and forbears sowing until it is down or changes, lest it s...
He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. Ver. 4. _He that observeth the wind shall not sow._] In sowing of mercy, he that sticks in such objections a...
_He that observeth the wind, shall not sow_, &c. He who neglects the necessary works of sowing and reaping, because the weather is not exactly suitable to his desires, will lose his harvest. Whereby h...
He that observeth the wind, in timid anxiety and hesitation, SHALL NOT SOW, for while he waits for favorable weather, he misses the proper period for action; AND HE THAT REGARDETH THE CLOUDS, with the...
PRACTICING BENEVOLENCE...
"HE WHO WATCHES THE WIND WILL NOT SOW AND HE WHO LOOKS AT THE CLOUDS WILL NOT REAP"."Keep watching the wind and you will never sow, stare at the clouds and you will never reap" (Jerus). We can also be...
1-6 Solomon presses the rich to do good to others. Give freely, though it may seem thrown away and lost. Give to many. Excuse not thyself with the good thou hast done, from the good thou hast further...
He who neglects or delays the necessary works of sowing and reaping, because the weather is not exactly suitable to his desires, may possibly lose his harvest; whereby he intimates what is easily unde...
Ecclesiastes 11:4 observes H8104 (H8802) wind H7307 sow H2232 (H8799) regards H7200 (H8802) clouds H5645 r
CHAPTER S ECCLESIASTES 11:9 TO ECCLESIASTES 12:14 THE VENTURING OF THE YOUNG, THE TRIALS OF THE OLD AND MAN'S FINAL DESTINY. As we come to the end of the writer's musings we are rewarded with the fina...
CHAPTER ECCLESIASTES 11:1 ADVICE FROM THE WISE MAN TO THE WISE. Central to these verses is the recognition of our ignorance. We do not know what will happen when we do things, we do not know what God...
Ecclesiastes 8:16-12 I. The Preacher commences this section by carefully defining his position and equipment as he starts on his last course. (1) His first conclusion is that wisdom, which of all temp...
Ecclesiastes 11:1. _Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days._ Hoard not thy bread; for if thou dost, it will mildew, it will be of no use to thee. Cast it on the waters...
CONTENTS: Exhortation to works of charity and right living. CHARACTERS: God, Solomon. CONCLUSION: Since we have death and judgment to prepare for, we should do good to others and abound in liberalit...
Ecclesiastes 11:1. _Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days._ The root לחם _lechem,_ designates bread, corn, and all kinds of meat which sustain life. It refers also to...
_He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap._ DIFFICULTIES VANQUISHED The principle of the text is, that we ought not to be deterred from discharging o...
ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON ECCLESIASTES 11:4 Too much time spent trying to “read the skies” will only distract one from the work that needs to be done. Those who always wait for the perfect time to begin a...
CRITICAL NOTES.— ECCLESIASTES 11:1. CAST THY BREAD UPON THE WATERS.] “Bread,” rendered in Isaiah 28:28, “bread corn.” It has been supposed that there is an allusion to the manner of sowing the seed-co...
EXPOSITION Approaching the end of his treatise, Koheleth, in view of apparent anomalies in God's moral government, and the difficulties that meet man in his social and political relations, proceeds t...
Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for you don't know what evil shall be upon the eaRuth (Ecclesiastes 11:1-2). You do...
Proverbs 20:4; Proverbs 22:13; Proverbs 3:27...
He — He who neglects the necessary works of sowing and reaping, because the weather is not exactly suitable to his desires will lose his harvest. Whereby he intimates, that men will never do good here...