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Ecclesiastes 11

Eccl. 11:1 KJV (With Strong’s)

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Cast
shalach (Hebrew #7971)
to send away, for, or out (in a great variety of applications)
KJV usage: X any wise, appoint, bring (on the way), cast (away, out), conduct, X earnestly, forsake, give (up), grow long, lay, leave, let depart (down, go, loose), push away, put (away, forth, in, out), reach forth, send (away, forth, out), set, shoot (forth, out), sow, spread, stretch forth (out).
Pronounce: shaw-lakh'
Origin: a primitive root
s thy bread
lechem (Hebrew #3899)
food (for man or beast), especially bread, or grain (for making it)
KJV usage: ((shew-))bread, X eat, food, fruit, loaf, meat, victuals. See also 1036.
Pronounce: lekh'-em
Origin: from 3898
λupon
paniym (Hebrew #6440)
the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposition (before, etc.)
KJV usage: + accept, a-(be- )fore(-time), against, anger, X as (long as), at, + battle, + because (of), + beseech, countenance, edge, + employ, endure, + enquire, face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-part), form(-er time, -ward), from, front, heaviness, X him(-self), + honourable, + impudent, + in, it, look(-eth) (- s), X me, + meet, X more than, mouth, of, off, (of) old (time), X on, open, + out of, over against, the partial, person, + please, presence, propect, was purposed, by reason of, + regard, right forth, + serve, X shewbread, sight, state, straight, + street, X thee, X them(-selves), through (+ - out), till, time(-s) past, (un-)to(-ward), + upon, upside (+ down), with(- in, + -stand), X ye, X you.
Pronounce: paw-neem'
Origin: plural (but always as singular) of an unused noun (paneh {paw-neh'}; from 6437)
the waters
mayim (Hebrew #4325)
water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen
KJV usage: + piss, wasting, water(-ing, (-course, -flood, -spring)).
Pronounce: mah'-yim
Origin: dual of a primitive noun (but used in a singular sense)
t: for thou shalt find
matsa' (Hebrew #4672)
properly, to come forth to, i.e. appear or exist; transitively, to attain, i.e. find or acquire; figuratively, to occur, meet or be present
KJV usage: + be able, befall, being, catch, X certainly, (cause to) come (on, to, to hand), deliver, be enough (cause to) find(-ing, occasion, out), get (hold upon), X have (here), be here, hit, be left, light (up-)on, meet (with), X occasion serve, (be) present, ready, speed, suffice, take hold on.
Pronounce: maw-tsaw'
Origin: a primitive root
it after many
rob (Hebrew #7230)
abundance (in any respect)
KJV usage: abundance(- antly), all, X common (sort), excellent, great(-ly, -ness, number), huge, be increased, long, many, more in number, most, much, multitude, plenty(-ifully), X very (age).
Pronounce: robe
Origin: from 7231
days
yowm (Hebrew #3117)
a day (as the warm hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by an associated term), (often used adverb)
KJV usage: age, + always, + chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to) day, (now a, two) days (agone), + elder, X end, + evening, + (for) ever(-lasting, -more), X full, life, as (so) long as (... live), (even) now, + old, + outlived, + perpetually, presently, + remaineth, X required, season, X since, space, then, (process of) time, + as at other times, + in trouble, weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), X whole (+ age), (full) year(-ly), + younger.
Pronounce: yome
Origin: from an unused root meaning to be hot
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s
Isa. 32:20• 20Blessed [are] ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth [thither] the feet of the ox and the ass. (Isa. 32:20)
λ
upon the face of.
t
Deut. 15:10• 10Thou shalt bountifully give unto him, and thy heart shall not be evil-disposed when thou givest unto him; because for this thing Jehovah thy God will bless thee in all thy works, and in all the business of thy hand. (Deut. 15:10)
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Psa. 41:1‑2• 1To the chief musician; a psalm of David.{HR}Blessed [is] he that payeth attention to the poor;{HR}In the day of evil Jehovah will deliver him.
 2Jehovah will preserve him and keep him alive:{HR}He shall be prospered in the land;{HR}And do not thou give him up to the will of his enemies. (Psa. 41:1‑2)
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Prov. 11:25• 25The blessing soul shall be made fat;{HR}And he that watereth shall be watered also himself. (Prov. 11:25)
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Prov. 19:17• 17He that hath pity on the poor lendeth to Jehovah;{HR}And his bestowal will he pay him again. (Prov. 19:17)
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Isa. 32:8• 8But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and in liberal things doth he stand. (Isa. 32:8)
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Matt. 10:42• 42And whosoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold [water] only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. (Matt. 10:42)
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2 Cor. 9:8• 8And God is able to make every grace abound unto you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in every [thing], may abound unto every good work; (2 Cor. 9:8)
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Heb. 6:10‑11• 10For God is not unrighteous to forget your work, and the love which ye showed unto his name, in that ye ministered to his saints and do minister.
 11But we desire earnestly that each of you should show the same diligence unto the full assurance of hope until the end, (Heb. 6:10‑11)

More on:

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Bread

Cross References

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Ministry on This Verse

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1-6:  Directions for charity.
7-8:  Death in life,
9-10:  and the day ofjudgment in the days of youth, are to be thought on.
Cast.That is, says Bp. Lowth, "Sow thy seed or corn on the face of the waters;" in plain terms, sow without any hope of a harvest:
do good even to them on whom your benefactions seem thrown away.
Dr. Jebb has well illustrated it by the following passages:"Vain are the favours done to vicious men; Not vainer 'tis to sow the foaming deep. The deep no pleasant harvest shall afford, Nor will the wicked ever make return.""To befriend the wicked is like sowing in the sea."
These, indeed, invert this precept; nor is it extraordinary that they should;"The one, frail human power alone produced, The other, God."thy bread.
Deut. 15:7‑11• 7If there be amongst you a poor man, any one of thy brethren in one of thy gates, in thy land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor shut thy hand from thy brother in need;
 8but thou shalt open thy hand bountifully unto him, and shalt certainly lend him on pledge what is sufficient for his need, in that which he lacketh.
 9Beware that there be not a wicked thought in thy heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry against thee to Jehovah, and it be sin in thee.
 10Thou shalt bountifully give unto him, and thy heart shall not be evil-disposed when thou givest unto him; because for this thing Jehovah thy God will bless thee in all thy works, and in all the business of thy hand.
 11For the needy shall never cease from within the land; therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thy hand bountifully unto thy brother, to thy poor and to thy needy, in thy land. (Deut. 15:7‑11)
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Prov. 11:24‑25• 24There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth;{HR}And there is that withholdeth more than is right,{HR}But only to want.
 25The blessing soul shall be made fat;{HR}And he that watereth shall be watered also himself. (Prov. 11:24‑25)
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Prov. 22:9• 9He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed,{HR}For he giveth of his bread to the poor. (Prov. 22:9)
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Isa. 32:8• 8But the liberal deviseth liberal things; and in liberal things doth he stand. (Isa. 32:8)
waters.
Heb. face of the waters.
Isa. 32:20• 20Blessed [are] ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth [thither] the feet of the ox and the ass. (Isa. 32:20)
for.
Eccl. 11:6• 6In the morning sow thy seed,{HR}And in the evening withhold not thine hand:{HR}For thou knowest not which shall prosper,{HR}Whether this or that,{HR}Or whether they both shall be alike good. (Eccl. 11:6)
;
Deut. 15:10• 10Thou shalt bountifully give unto him, and thy heart shall not be evil-disposed when thou givest unto him; because for this thing Jehovah thy God will bless thee in all thy works, and in all the business of thy hand. (Deut. 15:10)
;
Psa. 41:1‑2• 1To the chief musician; a psalm of David.{HR}Blessed [is] he that payeth attention to the poor;{HR}In the day of evil Jehovah will deliver him.
 2Jehovah will preserve him and keep him alive:{HR}He shall be prospered in the land;{HR}And do not thou give him up to the will of his enemies. (Psa. 41:1‑2)
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Psa. 126:5‑6• 5Those that sow with tears{HR}Shall reap with joyful song.
 6Surely (going) he goeth and weepeth, bearing a load of the seed;{HR}Surely (coming) he shall come with joyful song, bearing his sheaves. (Psa. 126:5‑6)
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Prov. 11:18• 18The wicked earneth deceitful wages,{HR}But he that soweth righteousness a sure reward. (Prov. 11:18)
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Prov. 19:17• 17He that hath pity on the poor lendeth to Jehovah;{HR}And his bestowal will he pay him again. (Prov. 19:17)
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Matt. 10:13,42• 13And if the house indeed be worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.
 42And whosoever shall give to drink to one of these little ones a cup of cold [water] only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. (Matt. 10:13,42)
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Matt. 25:40• 40And the King answering shall say to them, Verily I say to you, Inasmuch as ye did [it] to one of the least of these my brethren, ye did [it] to me. (Matt. 25:40)
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Luke 14:14• 14and thou shalt be blessed; for they have not [the means] to recompense thee; for thou shalt be recompensed in the resurrection of the just. (Luke 14:14)
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2 Cor. 9:6• 6But this [I say], he that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that soweth in blessings shall reap also in blessings; (2 Cor. 9:6)
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Gal. 6:8‑10• 8for he that soweth unto his own flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life eternal.
 9But in well-doing let us not be faint-hearted, for in due time we shall reap, if we do not faint.
 10So then, as we have opportunity, let us work that which is good toward all, and especially toward those of the household of faith. (Gal. 6:8‑10)
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Heb. 6:10• 10For God is not unrighteous to forget your work, and the love which ye showed unto his name, in that ye ministered to his saints and do minister. (Heb. 6:10)
• In the first eight verses of Eccl. 11 we shall thus find man’s Reason running in a beautiful parallel with the divine, and yet in marked contrast with the narrow, selfish, short-sighted policy of the debased wisdom of this world. Their broad teaching is very clear; look forward―live not for the present. (“Ecclesiastes 11” by F.C. Jennings)
• Instead of hoarding or laying up for the evil day, cast thy bread―that staff of life, thy living―boldly upon the waters, it shall not be lost. You have, in so doing, intrusted it to the care of Him who loseth nothing; and the future, though perhaps far off, shall give thee a full harvest for such sowing. (“Ecclesiastes 11” by F.C. Jennings)

J. N. Darby Translation

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Cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days.

W. Kelly Translation

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Cast thy bread on the face of the waters,{HR}For after many days thou shalt find it.