“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.”
My Notes
What Does Ecclesiastes 11:6 Mean?
The Preacher gives practical advice: sow in the morning and don't stop working in the evening. The reason: you don't know which effort will succeed — the morning's or the evening's. Maybe one. Maybe both. You can't predict outcomes, so maximize your effort.
This verse counters the nihilism that could arise from Ecclesiastes' earlier observations about life's uncertainty. Yes, life is vapor. Yes, you can't predict outcomes. But the response isn't paralysis — it's persistent action. Sow anyway. Work anyway. Keep your hand busy because you don't know what will prosper.
The agricultural metaphor (sowing seed) connects effort to hope. Every seed planted is an act of faith in the future. The Preacher, for all his skepticism about outcomes, believes in the value of sustained effort. You can't control results. You can control work.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Where are you withholding your hand — waiting for certainty before you're willing to act?
- 2.How does the Preacher's advice to 'sow anyway' change your approach to uncertainty?
- 3.What 'morning seed' and 'evening seed' do you need to plant right now — even without knowing which will prosper?
- 4.Is your response to life's uncertainty more often paralysis or persistent effort?
Devotional
Sow in the morning. Don't stop in the evening. Because you don't know which one will work.
This is the Preacher's answer to uncertainty — and it's not what you might expect from a man who's spent eleven chapters questioning everything. His answer isn't paralysis. It's maximum effort. Since you can't predict which investment will pay off, invest in everything you can.
This is profoundly practical. Don't put all your eggs in one basket — not because diversification is a financial strategy, but because you genuinely don't know what will prosper. The morning's work might fail. The evening's might succeed. Or both might bear fruit. You can't know in advance. So don't stop.
"Withhold not thine hand" — that's the key phrase. Don't hold back. Don't wait for certainty before you act. Don't demand a guarantee before you sow. Certainty isn't available to you. Action is.
This is what faith looks like in Ecclesiastes: not a mystical confidence that everything will work out, but a practical refusal to let uncertainty become inactivity. You can't control the harvest. You can control the sowing. So sow. Morning and evening. And let God sort out which seeds grow.
The person who waits for certainty never plants anything. The person who sows all day might be surprised by what grows.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
In the morning sow thy seed,.... Do all good works early and diligently, which is expressed by sowing in righteousness,…
“Unforeseen events come from God; and the man who is always gazing on the uncertain future will neither begin nor…
Solomon had often, in this book, pressed it upon rich people to take the comfort of their riches themselves; here he…
In the morning sow thy seed Once again the enigmatic form, as in Ecc 11:2, is the touchstone of interpreters. It has…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture