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KING JAMES BIBLE · PCE

Ecclesiastes 11:4–7

TEXT EDITION
Pure Cambridge Edition selected
He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
As 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.
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.
¶ Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:
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PASSAGE SELECTION

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4 selected · 6 available

Choose up to 10 verses in this chapter. The study tools update with the selected passage.

SCRIPTURE WITH SCRIPTURE

Cross References

18 Essential passages are open for comparison.

Reference depth

From verse 4

  1. Proverbs 20:4Rank 1 from verse 4
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    4The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.

  2. Proverbs 3:27Rank 2 from verse 4
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    27¶ Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.

  3. Proverbs 22:13Rank 3 from verse 4
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    13The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.

From verse 5

  1. John 3:8Rank 1 from verse 5
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    8The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

  2. Psalms 92:5Rank 2 from verse 5
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    5O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.

  3. Ecclesiastes 8:17Rank 3 from verse 5
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    17Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.

  4. Romans 11:33Rank 4 from verse 5
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    33O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

  5. Isaiah 40:28Rank 5 from verse 5
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    28¶ Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

From verse 6

  1. 2 Corinthians 9:10–11Rank 1 from verse 6
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    10Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)

    11Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

  2. Isaiah 55:10Rank 2 from verse 6
    Open

    10For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

  3. Haggai 1:6–11Rank 3 from verse 6
    Open

    6Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes.

    7¶ Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Consider your ways.

    8Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith the Lord.

    9Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith the Lord of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.

    10Therefore the heaven over you is stayed from dew, and the earth is stayed from her fruit.

    11And I called for a drought upon the land, and upon the mountains, and upon the corn, and upon the new wine, and upon the oil, and upon that which the ground bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon cattle, and upon all the labour of the hands.

  4. Hosea 10:12Rank 4 from verse 6
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    12Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the Lord, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

  5. 2 Corinthians 9:6Rank 5 from verse 6
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    6But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

From verse 7

  1. Ecclesiastes 7:11Rank 1 from verse 7
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    11¶ Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the sun.

  2. Matthew 5:45Rank 2 from verse 7
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    45That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

  3. Proverbs 15:30Rank 3 from verse 7
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    30The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart: and a good report maketh the bones fat.

  4. Psalms 84:11Rank 4 from verse 7
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    11For the Lord God is a sun and shield: the Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

  5. Job 33:30Rank 5 from verse 7
    Open

    30To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.

WORDS IN THIS PASSAGE

Definitions

Open a word for its full definition and concordance.

DEFINED WORDS

Ecclesiastes 11:4

COMBINED MEANING

wind

↗

Sense 1: Air in motion; a current of air. Sense 2: Breath or a movement of air from breathing. Sense 3: By figure, something empty, unstable, or passing.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

shall

↗

An auxiliary verb expressing future action, intention, promise, command, requirement, or determination.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

sow

↗

Sense 1: To scatter or plant seed. Sense 2: Figuratively, to spread what will produce a result. Sense 3: An adult female swine.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

clouds

↗

Sense 1: Visible masses of condensed vapour in the sky. Sense 2: Figures of covering, multitude, or obscurity.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

reap

↗

Sense 1: To cut and gather a crop. Sense 2: By figure, to receive the result or reward of actions.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Ecclesiastes 11:5

COMBINED MEANING

thou

↗

The singular second-person subject pronoun, meaning you when directly addressing one person, being, or individually treated addressee.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

spirit

↗

Sense 1: An immaterial living or personal being distinct from a body. Sense 2: The inward life, disposition, mind, or courage of a person. Sense 3: The Holy Spirit, the divine Spirit of God.

Meaning drawn from: Direct Scripture definition · KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

in

↗

1. A preposition marking position, presence, state, circumstance, manner, means, sphere, reference, relation, association, or participation. 2. As an adverb, inward, inside, or into the place or position referred to.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

womb

↗

Sense 1: The bodily place in a female where a child is conceived and carried before birth. Sense 2: A source pictured as such a place.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

child

↗

1. A son or daughter; an offspring or descendant. 2. A young person or infant, considered by age or development. 3. In 'with child,' pregnant or carrying an unborn child. 4. One described as belonging to, derived from, characterized by, or dependent upon another person, group, or condition.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

even

↗

1. Used to emphasize, include, or precisely identify what is meant: indeed, precisely, or namely. 2. Used to mark a boundary, endpoint, or full reach in place, time, or degree: up to, as far as, or through. 3. In ‘even as,’ ‘even so,’ and like constructions, just as, exactly so, or in the same manner. 4. The evening, or close of day. 5. Equal, level, identical, balanced, or uniform.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

works

↗

Plural of work: acts, deeds, labours, operations, products, or things made.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

maketh

↗

Third-person singular present form of make (to form, create, produce, cause, appoint, perform, or render into a stated condition).

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Ecclesiastes 11:6

COMBINED MEANING

in

↗

1. A preposition marking position, presence, state, circumstance, manner, means, sphere, reference, relation, association, or participation. 2. As an adverb, inward, inside, or into the place or position referred to.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

morning

↗

Sense 1: The beginning or early part of the day, including hours before daylight. Sense 2: The dawn or a beginning compared with dawn.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

sow

↗

Sense 1: To scatter or plant seed. Sense 2: Figuratively, to spread what will produce a result. Sense 3: An adult female swine.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

seed

↗

Sense 1: The reproductive substance of a plant or creature, especially what is sown to produce after its kind. Sense 2: Offspring, descendants, or lineage. Sense 3: A beginning, source, or thing sown that produces a result.

Meaning drawn from: Direct Scripture definition · KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

hand

↗

Sense 1: The part of the body at the end of the arm. Sense 2: Figuratively, power, possession, aid, or agency.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

for

↗

1. In behalf of or in the place of. 2. With respect to, concerning, or toward. 3. Because of or on account of. 4. During or throughout. 5. In order to obtain or reach. 6. As a conjunction, because or seeing that.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

thou

↗

The singular second-person subject pronoun, meaning you when directly addressing one person, being, or individually treated addressee.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

shall

↗

An auxiliary verb expressing future action, intention, promise, command, requirement, or determination.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

prosper

↗

To succeed, advance, thrive, flourish, increase, or accomplish an intended purpose.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

good

↗

Sense 1: Right, morally upright, beneficial, pleasing, useful, suitable, sound, favourable, or excellent. Sense 2: A good thing, benefit, welfare, possession, or goods. Sense 3: In ‘make good,’ to repair, repay, fulfil, establish, or prove.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

Ecclesiastes 11:7

COMBINED MEANING

truly

↗

According to truth; in agreement with fact; Sincerely; honestly; really; faithfully; Exactly; justly.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

light

↗

Sense 1: Brightness or illumination. Sense 2: A source or opening that gives light. Sense 3: Figuratively, truth, knowledge, revelation, life, or favour contrasted with darkness. Sense 4: To illuminate or kindle. Sense 5: To alight or come upon. Sense 6: Slight, easy, swift, or not heavy.

Meaning drawn from: Direct Scripture definition · KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

sweet

↗

Sense 1: Pleasing to the taste or smell. Sense 2: Pleasant, agreeable, or delightful to the senses or mind.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

for

↗

1. In behalf of or in the place of. 2. With respect to, concerning, or toward. 3. Because of or on account of. 4. During or throughout. 5. In order to obtain or reach. 6. As a conjunction, because or seeing that.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

eyes

↗

The bodily organs of sight; by extension, sight, attention, observation, perception, understanding, desire, judgment, estimation, favour, or the presence and view before which something occurs.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

behold

↗

1. Used as an attention word or command directing someone to look at or take notice of the person, thing, statement, or event presented: look; see; take notice. 2. As a verb, to look upon, see, observe, or witness.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

sun

↗

The great light that rules the day and gives light and heat.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

READ THE PASSAGE

View in context

Suggested context · Ecclesiastes 11:1–8

The selected passage is highlighted. Context is a study aid.

11:1CAST thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.

11:2Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.

11:3If 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.

11:4He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.

Selected passage

11:5As 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.

Selected passage

11:6In 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.

Selected passage

11:7¶ Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:

Selected passage

11:8But 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.

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