Passage

Ecclesiastes 11.2

Book: Ecclesiastes · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

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

"2. Give a portion to seven, yea, even unto eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth."

"3. If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth; and if a tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there shall it be. 4. He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap." (Ecclesiastes 11:1-4, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"1. Cast your bread on the waters; for you shall find it after many days."

"2. Give a portion to seven, yes, even to eight; for you don’t know what evil will be on the earth."

"3. If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth; and if a tree falls toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falls, there shall it be. 4. He who observes the wind won’t sow; and he who regards the clouds won’t reap." (Ecclesiastes 11:1-4, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"1. Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. ^{upon: Heb. upon the face of the waters}"

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

"3. 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 observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap." (Ecclesiastes 11:1-4, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"1. Send forth thy bread on the face of the waters, For in the multitude of the days thou dost find it."

"2. Give a portion to seven, and even to eight, For thou knowest not what evil is on the earth."

"3. If the thick clouds are full of rain, On the earth they empty [themselves]; And if a tree doth fall in the south or to the north, The place where the tree falleth, there it is. 4. Whoso is observing the wind soweth not, And whoso is looking on the thick clouds reapeth not." (Ecclesiastes 11:1-4, YLT)

Setting

• Speaker: Qohelet (traditionally Solomon)
• Audience: wisdom-seekers facing life's apparent vanity
• Location: Israel
• Time period: traditionally c. 935 BC (Solomon); some scholars date later c. 450-200 BC

Theological reading

Key words

• H3045 - yada, yada (Strong's H3045). Also appears in: Genesis 3, Genesis 12, Genesis 19.

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

• ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
• WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
• KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
• YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.