SEV Biblia, Chapter 11:1
¶ Echa tu pan sobre las aguas; que después de muchos días lo hallarás.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Ecclesiastes 11:1
Verse 1. Cast thy bread upon the waters - An allusion to the sowing of rice; which was sown upon muddy ground, or ground covered with water, and trodden in by the feet of cattle: it thus took root, and grew, and was found after many days in a plentiful harvest. Give alms to the poor, and it will be as seed sown in good ground. God will cause thee afterwards to receive it with abundant increase. The Targum understands it of giving bread to poor sailors. The Vulgate and my old Bible have the same idea. "Send thi brede upon men passing waters."
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 1. Cast thy bread upon the waters , etc.] As the wise man had often suggested that nothing was better for a man than to enjoy the good of his labour himself, he here advises to let others, the poor, have a share with him; and as he had directed in the preceding chapter how men should behave towards their superiors, he here instructs them what notice they should take of their inferiors; and as he had cautioned against luxury and intemperance, he here guards against tenacity and covetousness, and exhorts to beneficence and liberality: that which is to be given is “bread”, which is put for all the necessaries of life, food and raiment; or money that answers all things, what may be a supply of wants, a support of persons in distress; what is useful, profitable, and beneficial; not stones or scorpions, or what will be useless or harmful: and it must be “thy” bread, a man’s own; not independent of God who gives it him; but not another’s, what he owes another, or has fraudulently obtained; but what he has got by his own labour, or he is through divine Providence in lawful possession of; hence alms in the Hebrew language is called “righteousness”: and it must be such bread as is convenient and fit for a man himself, such as he himself and his family eat of, and this he must cast, it must be a man’s own act, and a voluntary one; his bread must not be taken and forced from him; it must be given freely, and in such a manner as not to be expected again; and bountifully and plentifully, as a man casts seed into the earth; but here it is said to be “upon the waters”; bread is to be given to such as are in distress and affliction, that have waters of a full cup wrung out unto them, whose faces are watered with tears, and foul with weeping, from whom nothing is to be expected again, who can make no returns; so that what is given thorn seems to be cast away and lost, like what is thrown into a river, or into the midst of the sea; and even it is to be given to such who prove ungrateful and unthankful, and on whom no mark or impression of the kindness is made and left, no more than upon water; yea, it is to be given to strangers never seen before nor after, like gliding water; so the Vulgate Latin version renders it, “passing waters”: or else to such who may be compared to well watered ground, or “moist ground”, as Mr. Broughton renders it; where the seed cast will grow up again, and bring forth fruit, and redound to the advantage of the sower, as what is given to the poor does; they are a good soil to sow upon, especially Christ’s poor, who are partakers of his living water, grace; (see Isaiah 32:20); though it may be the multitude of persons to whom alms is to be given are here intended, which are sometimes signified by waters, ( Revelation 17:15); as ( Ecclesiastes 11:2) seems to explain it. The Targum is, “reach out the bread of thy sustenance to the poor that go in ships upon the thee of the water;” and some think the speech is borrowed from navigation, and is an allusion to merchants who send their goods beyond sea, and have a large return for them; for thou shalt find it after many days ; not the identical bread itself, but the fruit and reward of such beneficence; which they shall have unexpectedly, or after long waiting, as the husbandman for his seed; it suggests that such persons should live long, as liberal persons oftentimes do, and increase in their worldly substance; and if they should not live to reap the advantage of their liberality, yet their posterity will, as the seed of Jonathan did for the kindness he showed to David: or, however, if they find it not again in temporal things, yet in spirituals; and shall be recompensed in the resurrection of the just, and to all eternity. So the Targum, “for after the time of many days, then thou shall find the reward of it in this world (so it is in the king’s Bible), and in the world to come;” (see Luke 12:12-14). Jarchi instances in Jethro. Noldius renders it “within many days”, even before many days are at an end; for seed sown by waters in hot climates soon sprung up, and produced fruit; see ( Daniel 11:20).
Matthew Henry Commentary
Exhortation to liberality. (Eccl. 11:1-6) An admonition to prepare for death, and to young persons to be religious. (Eccl. 11:7-10)
Eccl. 11:1-6 Solomon presses the rich to do good to others. Giv freely, though it may seem thrown away and lost. Give to many. Excus not thyself with the good thou hast done, from the good thou has further to do. It is not lost, but well laid out. We have reason to expect evil, for we are born to trouble; it is wisdom to do good in the day of prosperity. Riches cannot profit us, if we do not benefi others. Every man must labour to be a blessing to that place where the providence of God casts him. Wherever we are, we may find good work to do, if we have but hearts to do it. If we magnify every littl difficulty, start objections, and fancy hardships, we shall never go on, much less go through with our work. Winds and clouds of tribulatio are, in God's hands, designed to try us. God's work shall agree with his word, whether we see it or not. And we may well trust God to provide for us, without our anxious, disquieting cares. Be not weary in well-doing, for in due season, in God's time, you shall reap, Gal. 6:9.
Eccl. 11:7-10 Life is sweet to bad men, because they have their portio in this life; it is sweet to good men, because it is the time of preparation for a better; it is sweet to all. Here is a caution to think of death, even when life is most sweet. Solomon makes a effecting address to young persons. They would desire opportunity to pursue every pleasure. Then follow your desires, but be assured tha God will call you into judgment. How many give loose to every appetite and rush into every vicious pleasure! But God registers every one of their sinful thoughts and desires, their idle words and wicked words If they would avoid remorse and terror, if they would have hope an comfort on a dying bed, if they would escape misery here and hereafter let them remember the vanity of youthful pleasures. That Solomon mean to condemn the pleasures of sin is evident. His object is to draw the young to purer and more lasting joys. This is not the language of on grudging youthful pleasures, because he can no longer partake of them but of one who has, by a miracle of mercy, been brought back in safety He would persuade the young from trying a course whence so few return If the young would live a life of true happiness, if they would secur happiness hereafter, let them remember their Creator in the days of their youth __________________________________________________________________
Original Hebrew
שׁלח 7971 לחמך 3899 על 5921 פני 6440 המים 4325 כי 3588 ברב 7230 הימים 3117 תמצאנו׃ 4672
