Bible Strands
Ecclesiastes 11:1
Cast your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it again.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Qoheleth addresses an unnamed audience within a cluster of practical sayings (11:1–6) on generosity under uncertainty.
The words — שַׁלַּח (shālāch), Piel stem of the root שׁל״ח, carries the force of "send forth" or "cast out," as of an arrow or messenger, not a gentle placement. The phrase עַל פְּנֵי הַמַּיִם is literally "on the face of the waters," a surface-level casting rather than a deep deposit.
The thread — Proverbs 19:17 frames giving to the poor as a loan the LORD repays; Ecclesiastes 11:6 urges sowing without knowing which seed will succeed. Matthew 10:42 extends the principle to a single cup of water given in Jesus' name.
Why it lands — The verse asks a reader to release resources into an outcome they cannot control and to trust that the cycle returns. It is not a promise of profit but a discipline of letting go.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 19:17 Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD, and He will repay the lender.
- Ecclesiastes 11:6 Sow your seed in the morning, and do not rest your hands in the evening, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or if both will equally prosper.
- Matthew 10:42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is My disciple, truly I tell you, he will never lose his reward.”
- Hebrews 6:10 For God is not unjust. He will not forget your work and the love you have shown for His name as you have ministered to the saints and continue to do so.
- 2 Corinthians 9:6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
- Isaiah 32:20 Blessed are those who sow beside abundant waters, who let the ox and donkey range freely.
- Psalms 41:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Blessed is the one who cares for the poor; the LORD will deliver him in the day of trouble.
- Luke 14:14 and you will be blessed. Since they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
- Galatians 6:8 The one who sows to please his flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; but the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
- Psalms 126:5 Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy.