The Meaning of Ecclesiastes 11:6 Explained

Ecclesiastes 11:6

KJV: In 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.

YLT: In the morning sow thy seed, And at even withdraw not thy hand, For thou knowest not which is right, this or that, Or whether both of them alike are good.

Darby: In 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.

ASV: In 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.

Discover Ecclesiastes 11:6

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Ecclesiastes 11:6?

MEANING: What does Ecclesiastes 11:6 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Ecclesiastes 11:6 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Ecclesiastes 11:6?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

In 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. 

What does Ecclesiastes 11:6 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Since the future is in God"s hands, the wise person proceeds with his work diligently, hoping his efforts will yield fruit, as they usually do.
"Put in a nutshell the theme of the passage is this: we should use wisdom boldly and carefully, cannily yet humbly, taking joy from life while remembering that our days of joy are limited by the certainty of death." [1]

Context Summary

Ecclesiastes 11:1-10 - Live Not For Today Alone
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 annual inundation of such a river as the Nile. To the inexperienced eye, this would seem the prodigality of waste, but the husbandman knows full well that he will meet his seed again with abundant returns. So it is in life, whether we befriend young boys and girls, or distribute tracts, or speak kind and loving words, or invest our money in philanthropic enterprise, we are casting our bread upon the waters to find it after many days in this world or the next.
But how wise the advice not to be always considering the winds and clouds, Ecclesiastes 11:3-4. There is considerable hazard in the life of the farmer. If he waits until all the conditions are favorable, he will never begin. So with our work for God. We must risk something. Often the word spoken at an apparently untoward moment will prove to be the word in season, while that spoken under the most favorable conditions will yield no return at all. God gives it a body as, and when, and how it pleaseth Him. [source]

Chapter Summary: Ecclesiastes 11

1  directions for charity
7  death in life and the day of judgment
9  in the days of youth

What do the individual words in Ecclesiastes 11:6 mean?

In the morning sow - your seed and in the evening not do withhold your hand for not you do know where morning will prosper this [one] or this [one] Or the two of them as one [will be] good
בַּבֹּ֙קֶר֙ זְרַ֣ע אֶת־ זַרְעֶ֔ךָ וְלָעֶ֖רֶב אַל־ תַּנַּ֣ח יָדֶ֑ךָ כִּי֩ אֵֽינְךָ֨ יוֹדֵ֜ע‪‬ אֵ֣י זֶ֤ה יִכְשָׁר֙ הֲזֶ֣ה אוֹ־ זֶ֔ה וְאִם־ שְׁנֵיהֶ֥ם כְּאֶחָ֖ד טוֹבִֽים

בַּבֹּ֙קֶר֙  In  the  morning 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֹּקֶר 
Sense: morning, break of day.
זְרַ֣ע  sow 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: זָרַע  
Sense: to sow, scatter seed.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
זַרְעֶ֔ךָ  your  seed 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: זֶרַע  
Sense: seed, sowing, offspring.
וְלָעֶ֖רֶב  and  in  the  evening 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֶרֶב  
Sense: evening, night, sunset.
תַּנַּ֣ח  do  withhold 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect Jussive, second person masculine singular
Root: מֻנָּח  
Sense: to rest.
יָדֶ֑ךָ  your  hand 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
יוֹדֵ֜ע‪‬  you  do  know 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
אֵ֣י  where 
Parse: Interrogative
Root: אֵי  
Sense: where?, whence?.
זֶ֤ה  morning 
Parse: Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
יִכְשָׁר֙  will  prosper 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: כָּשֵׁר  
Sense: to succeed, please, be suitable, be proper, be advantageous, be right and proper to.
הֲזֶ֣ה  this  [one] 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
זֶ֔ה  this  [one] 
Parse: Pronoun, masculine singular
Root: זֶה  
Sense: this, this one, here, which, this … that, the one … the other, another, such.
שְׁנֵיהֶ֥ם  the  two  of  them 
Parse: Number, mdc, third person masculine plural
Root: שְׁנַיִם  
Sense: two.
כְּאֶחָ֖ד  as  one 
Parse: Preposition-k, Number, masculine singular
Root: אֶחָד  
Sense: one (number).
טוֹבִֽים  [will  be]  good 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: טָבַב 
Sense: good, pleasant, agreeable.

What are the major concepts related to Ecclesiastes 11:6?

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