Ecclesiastes 11

Ecclesiastes 11:1

Ambrose of Milan: There, tears are indeed bread, where justice is hungered after. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be filled. Therefore, there are tears that are bread, and they strengthen the soul of man. This also agrees with that saying of Ecclesiastes: Cast your bread upon the waters; for there is the bread of heaven, where the water of grace is; for they rightly receive the substance of the Word and the nourishment of mystical understanding, by which streams of the water of life flow from the womb. — Interrogation of Job and David

Gregory of Nazianzus: It happens with most people that they give indeed, but they do not do so freely and readily, which is a greater and more perfect thing than the mere act of offering itself. It is far better to be generous to the unworthy for the sake of the worthy than to deprive the worthy out of fear of the unworthy. This seems to have a bearing on our duty of casting bread upon the waters, not that it may be swept away or perish in the eyes of the just examiner, but that it may come to that place where all our goods will be stored up. And [it will] be there to meet us in due time, even though we may think otherwise. — ON THE DEATH OF HIS FATHER, ORATION 18:20

Gregory of Neocaesarea: Moreover, it is a righteous thing to give (to the needy) of your bread, and of those things which are necessary for the support of man’s life. For though you seem immediately to waste it upon some persons, as if you cast your bread upon the water, yet in the progress of time your kindness shall be seen to be not unprofitable for you. Also give liberally, and give a portion of your means to many; for you know not what the coming day does. The clouds, again, do not keep back their plenteous rains, but discharge their showers upon the earth. Nor does a tree stand for ever; but even though men may spare it, it shall be overturned by the wind at any rate. But many desire also to know beforehand what is to come from the heavens; and there have been those who, scrutinizing the clouds and waiting for the wind, have had nought to do with reaping and winnowing, putting their trust in vanity, and being all incapable of knowing anything of what may come from God in the future; just as men cannot tell what the woman with child shall bring forth. But sow in season, and thus reap your fruits whenever the time for that comes on. For it is not manifest what shall be better than those among all natural things. Would, indeed, that all things turned out well! Truly, when a man considers with himself that the sun is good, and that this life is sweet, and that it is a pleasant thing to have many years wherein one can delight himself continually, and that death is a terror and an endless evil, and a thing that brings us to nought, he thinks that he ought to enjoy himself in all the present and apparent pleasures of life. And he gives this counsel also to the young, that they should use to the uttermost the season of their youth, by giving up their minds to all manner of pleasure, and indulge their passions, and do all that seems good in their own eyes, and look upon that which delights, and avert themselves from that which is not so. But to such a man I shall say this much: Senseless are you, my friend, in that you do not look for the judgment that shall come from God upon all these things. And profligacy and licentiousness are evil, and the filthy wantonness of our bodies carries death in it. For folly attends on youth, and folly leads to destruction.

Isaac of Nineveh: When you give, give generously, with a joyous countenance, and give more than you are asked for, since it is said: “Send forth thy morsel of bread toward the face of the poor man, and soon you will find your recompense.” Do not separate the rich from the poor, nor try to discriminate the worthy from the unworthy, but let all persons be equal in your eyes for a good deed. — ASCETICAL HOMILIES 4

Jerome: “Send your bread upon the waters, for after many days you will find it.” He encourages to mercy since it must be given to all that seek wisdom, and work well. For just as he sows over the well-watered fields and awaits the produce of his seed, so too he who is generous to the needy does not sow the grain of his seed, but bread itself. And he waits for it to grow into his future profit; and when the day of judgement comes much more will be found to have grown than was at first sown. Differently: in each and every man you can see this water, about which is said, “rivers flow from his stomach, the waters of life” [Ioh. 7, 38.], lest it should trouble you to display the bread of life, the bread of reasoning, and of speech. For if you do this many times you will find that you have not sown the seeds of doctrine in vain. I think that this is what is written in Isaiah too: “blessed is he who sows across the water, where the ox and ass trample” [Is. 32, 20.]. This is also because that teacher (about whom we have already spoken), is held to be worthy of blessing, because he sows across the well-watered hearts of his listeners, the hearts of the Jews, as those of the gentiles in the gathered congregation. — Commentary on Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 11:2

Ambrose of Milan: The Old Testament too knew this number eight which in Latin we call the Octave, for the preacher says, give a portion to seven and also to eight. The number seven belongs to the Old Testament, the number eight to the New, for then Christ rose, and the day of new salvation shone upon all. This is the day whereof the Prophet says, This is the day which the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. — Letter XLIV, To Horontianus

Ambrose of Milan: Now the seventh day denotes the mystery of the Law, the eighth that of the Resurrection, as you have in Ecclesiastes, Give a portion to seven and also to eight. — Letter XXVI, To Irenaeus

Augustine of Hippo: Before the Lord’s resurrection there was rest for the departed but resurrection for none: “Rising from the dead he dies no more, death has no more dominion over him.” But after such resurrection had taken place in the Lord’s body, so that the head of the church might foreshadow what the body of the church hopes for at the end, then the Lord’s day—that is the eighth, which is also the first—began to be observed. — LETTER 55

Didymus the Blind: The one who “gives a part to the seven” commits to the Old Testament, which was before the arrival of the Savior. The number seven indicates the institution of the sabbath. The one who “gives a part to the eight” is the one who believes in the resurrection of the Savior, since he came after the sabbath.The Jews who “give a part to the seven” have not “given a part to the eight” and therefore they were not saved. The heretics … rejected the law and the Old Testament; since they did not “give a part to the seven,” they miss the goal. — COMMENTARY ON Ecclesiastes 317:15

Fructuosus of Braga: They need not be hesitant to pray at their own special hours, that is, the second, fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth, tenth, and eleventh, inasmuch as seven or eight are harmonious with the words of Solomon: “Make seven or eight portions.” [This is] in order that they may be able to climb through the sevenfold grace of the Spirit and the eight beatitudes on the day of resurrection with unhampered tread up the ladder of Jacob by its fifteen steps to the region of heaven, where Christ is resplendent above. — GENERAL RULE FOR MONASTERIES 10

Jerome: “Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for you do not know what evil shall be upon the earth. “And in Ezekiel there are found seven or eight steps leading up to the temple. [Ez. 40, 26.31.] And after the ’ethical’ Psalm, that is one hundred and eighteen, all the psalms are of fifteen steps by which we are first taught the law, and when the seventh is finished, we then climb to the Gospel through the ’eight steps’ [Ier. ‘ogdoadem’]. Therefore it is taught that we should believe with equal respect in each, the same for the old as for the new. The Jews dedicated their seventh part, believing in the Sabbath, but did not dedicate that eighth, denying the resurrection on the day of the Lord. On the other hand, heretics, Marcion and Manichaeus and all who rip up the ancient law with their savage mouths, dedicate their eighth part, taking up the Gospel. But they do not save as holy the seventh, spurning the old law. For we are not able to understand the worthy crucifixions, the worthy punishments already in mind, which are reserved for those who are moved to wickedness on earth, that is for the Jews and the heretics, and for those denying the other of the two. The Hebrews understand this passage in this way: keep both the Sabbath and the rite of circumcision, for if you do not adhere to these wickedness will come over you unexpectedly. " " — Commentary on Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 11:3

Ambrose of Milan: He who needs and apprehends much is filled, he who hath been filled waters others, and therefore Scripture saith, If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth. — Letter II, To Constantius

Didymus the Blind: This sentence obviously is meant in a figurative and spiritual sense.…The south is in many ways distinguished from the north geographically, but also in a spiritual sense: The bride in the Song of Songs says, “Awake, O north wind, and come, O south wind!” So she sends the evil power away. The evil power was within her. When the evil was active, that is, the evil regarding faith and vocation, then she had the north wind living within. When she “turned away from evil” and went to the doing of good, she called for the south wind. Pay attention to the occasion: “Blow upon my garden that its fragrance may be wafted abroad,” [she says to the south wind]; the north wind does not do this. She uses the terms in a quite physical sense, since the “cold wind” is called “north wind.” The cold wind closes the openings of the trees, the so-called invisible pores, so that the elements of fragrance are kept inside. But when the warm south wind blows through the garden of the soul, … then the pores are widened. — COMMENTARY ON Ecclesiastes 321:1

Jerome: “If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree falls toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it shall be. “Keep the commandments that have been taught to you above so that the clouds above you will break open in rain. For wherever you have made your home and seat for the future, whether to the east or facing the north, when you die you will remain there. Differently: as I have said above ‘send your bread over the water and divide it to all who ask’. Since when the clouds are full they pour their riches down on mortals, and you are as a tree: however aged you may be, you will not live forever, but one day suddenly struck by the storm of death like a storm of winds, there where you fall you will lie forever. The time of your end will come whether you may be stiff and savage, or mild and merciful. Differently: God is addressed in the Psalms: “you are truth up to the clouds” [Ps. 35, 6.], and in Isaiah God warns the sinner of the vineyard, “I will command the clouds not to rain down” [Is. 5, 6.]. Therefore the clouds are as prophets or holy men, who have amassed many talents in their mind, so that he can rain his teachings of doctrine down on others and say, “their speech should be awaited just as rain, and they will pour out rain across the earth” [Deut. 32, 2.], to which is replied, “let the earth hear the words of my mouth” [Deut. 32, 1.]. But this follows: “and if a tree falls to the east, or to the north, in the place where it falls, there it will remain.” We can take the example of the book of Hebrews, in which is written, “God will come to Teyma” [Heb. 3,3.], which some interpreters have taken to mean that God will come from the south, and when I come to think about it the south is always used in a good context. This can be seen in Song of Songs: “arise oh north” that is ‘return’ and ‘go away’; “and come O south wind” [Cant. 4, 16.]. Therefore a tree, if in this life it falls and is cut in its state of mortality, either must sin before while it stands and is then placed in the north afterwards, or if the south winds takes away all its worthy fruit, it will lie wounded in the south. The text does not mean any tree, but only if it lies to the north or south. This means the same as that which is written: “I will say to the north wind, come, and to the south wind, do not hold back” [Is. 43, 6.]. Nowhere teaches about the south wind and the east wind together, saying that they blow, since it is fitting for them to be among those regions, because they are blown afterwards to the south and east. Therefore it blows from the north to the south and the south wind blows its inhabitants to the east. And they are not able to blow out if they remain in their ancient palaces. — Commentary on Ecclesiastes

Richard Challoner: If the tree fall: The state of the soul is unchangeable when once she comes to heaven or hell: and a soul that departs this life in the state of grace, shall never fall from grace: as on the other side, a soul that dies out of the state of grace, shall never come to it. But this does not exclude a place of temporal punishments for such souls as die in the state of grace: yet not so as to be entirely pure: and therefore they shall be saved, indeed, yet so as by fire. 1 Cor. 3. 13, 14, 15.

Ecclesiastes 11:4

Gregory the Dialogist: He that observeth the wind doth not sow: and he that regardeth the clouds never reapeth. For what is expressed by the wind but the temptation of malignant spirits? And what are denoted by the clouds which are moved of the wind but the oppositions of bad men? The clouds, that is to say, are driven by the winds, because bad men are excited by the blasts of unclean spirits. He, then, that observeth the wind soweth not, and he that regardeth the clouds reapeth not, because whosoever fears the temptation of malignant spirits, whosoever the persecution of bad men, and does not sow the seed of good work now, neither doth he then reap handfuls of holy recompense. — The Book of Pastoral Rule, Part 3, Chapter XV

Isaac of Nineveh: Let not much wisdom become a stumbling-block to your soul and a snare before you; but trusting in God, manfully make a beginning upon the way that is filled with blood, lest always you be found wanting and naked of knowledge of God. For he who is fearful or watches the winds, sows not. — ASCETICAL HOMILIES 6

Jerome: “He that observes the wind shall not sow; and he that regards the clouds shall not reap. “He who considers what is good for him and does not give out to all who ask him, often destroys what he ought to receive. [Cfr. Luc 6, 30.] Differently: he who proclaims the word of God at the time when the people listen freely and a second wind of rumour comes, he is a negligent and lazy farmer. But favourably or not in his career he must proclaim the word of God [Cfr II Tim. 4, 2.]; and he must not think of the storm of adverse clouds in his time of faith. This is written in Proverbs: “just as the rains are heavy and unyielding, so are they who leave wisdom and praise impiety” [Prov. 28, 3.4.]. Therefore you must sow your seeds in the middle of a storm without thinking of the clouds and without fearing the winds. And you must not say, ’that time was convenient, this of no use’, when we do not know which way and which will is the one spirit of giving. — Commentary on Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 11:5

Gregory the Dialogist: Men then sing of the Lord, when either spirits from above, or perfect teachers, make known to us His power. But yet His work is not known; because doubtless even they who preach Him, venerate His unpenetrated judgments. They, therefore, both know Him, Whom they preach, and yet know not His works: because they know, by grace, Him, by Whom they were made, but yet cannot understand His judgments, which are wrought by Him even above their understanding. For that Almighty God is not clearly seen in His doings the Psalmist bears witness, saying, Who hath made darkness His secret place. And again, Thy judgments are a great deep. And again, The deep like a garment is His clothing. Whence also it is well said by Solomon, As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones grow together in the belly of her that is with child, so thou knowest not the works of God, Who is the Maker of all things. — Morals on the Book of Job, Book 27

Jerome: “As you do not know what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so you know not the works of God who makes all. “Just as you do not know the way of the spirit and of the soul entering a child, and are unknowing of the types of bone and veins in the stomach of a pregnant woman. It is hard to know how the human body is formed from the simplest elements into the many varied forms and limbs, and from the very same seed, one makes soft our hair, another makes our bones hard; one connects the veins, another links the nerves together. Thus you cannot know the work of God, who has made all things. From this he teaches that the variety of things in the world must not be feared, and you must not fear the winds and the clouds, which as we have mentioned above must be judged. But although the sower ought to reap in the course of his career, he ought to save the outcome for the judgement of the Lord. " " — Commentary on Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 11:6

Jerome: “In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening withhold not your hand: for you know not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good. Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun: But if a man lives many years, and rejoices in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that which comes is vanity. “Do not choose which good deeds you do, but once you have started doing good, never stop. The evening will reveal the justice of the morning, and the sunrise will collect the mercy of the evening. For it is uncertain which work pleases God more, and by what means you will obtain the fruit of righteousness. But it can happen that not one but each one will please God. Another meaning could be that both in childhood and in old-age you will have equal work. Do not say therefore, “I worked while I was able, I ought to rest in old-age”, for you do not know whether you please God more in youth or in age. And the thrift of youth too is of no use if old-age is taken up by indulgence. For the righteous has erred, not even his former virtues can free him from death. And if you always do well according to each interpretation and work equal amounts in each age, you will see God the Father, the sweetest light; you will see Christ, the sun of righteousness. More precisely if you live for many years and always have good things or do good deeds, you will still know that you are going to die, and the coming of darkness will continually surround you: you will despise the present things as if they were transient, frail and failing. Symmachus has interpreted the end of this idea in this way: if a man lives for many years and if he has been happy in all this he ought to remember the days of darkness, since they will be many, in which all will cease. Differently: in another place in the Scripture God promises, saying, “I will give you timely rain and rain that is late” [Deut. 11, 14.]. I will irrigate you with rain: the Old and the New Testament. He warns about this here so that we may read about the ancient law, lest we hate the Gospel, and in this way ask about the spiritual understanding in the old text; lest we think that what we read in the Gospels and apostles is only to be taken at face value. For we do not know when more knowledge and grace is divested to us by God, and he who is happy, who joined both together to make it like one. For he who has followed this will see the light, will see Christ, the light of justice. And if he lives for several years and with knowledge of the Scriptures he will know the greatest happiness and enjoyment, and he is forced more to this toil by the memory of his future judgement. Since the time of eternal darkness will come, and perpetual punishments will be in stone for those who have not sown in the morning and in the evening, and joined both in vain; they have not seen the light or the sun, whence the light itself comes. — Commentary on Ecclesiastes

Peter of Alexandria: Let us turn now and ponder the word just as the natural philosopher has said, and let us know its power. “Sow your seed,” he said, “in the morning hour and do not cease in the evening hour.” And I say according to my dull mind, “The morning hour is the young childhood of man, and the evening hour is old age.” For infancy is in need of teaching and instruction for everyone so that they escape sin. Likewise moreover, he will continue to remember the sin into which he has fallen in the morning hour, which is his childhood, and he will not set his heart on his own teaching but will be first to the church, the school for little and great, and he will listen to the Scriptures inspired by God, that he might not be unmindful or fall but become new again through repentance. The word extends to us, too, we who are called “bishop” and “presbyter” and “teacher,” that we might continue to abide in the word of teaching every day from morning until evening every day, just as it is written, “Speak [and] do not be silent.” I am speaking with you, he said, personally, so that you will not be ashamed. I will sow in you the Word of God, the seed of truth and life from the morning hour to the evening hour. — HOMILIES ON RICHES 1:6-7

Ecclesiastes 11:8

Didymus the Blind: In the spiritual sense [this saying] is even more valid, for “young men” are those who are strong because they have the Word of God and because they have power against evil. John, for example, writes, “I write to you, young people, because you are strong and the Word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” He certainly does not write to a certain age group in a physical sense but to a soul made young, since it has “clothed [itself] with the new self.” — COMMENTARY ON Ecclesiastes 335:5

Gregory the Dialogist: He shews himself to live with good heed and circumspection, who, in considering the shortness of the present life does not look to the furtherance but to the ending of it, so as to gather from the end, that all is nought that delights while it is passing. For hence it is said by Solomon, But if a man live many years and rejoice in them all, yet let him remember the time of darkness, and the days that shall be many; and when they come, the past shall be convinced of vanity. Hence again it is written, Whatsoever thou takest in hand, remember thine end, and thou shalt never do amiss. Therefore when sin tempts the mind, it is requisite that the soul should regard the shortness of its gratification, lest iniquity hurry it on to a living death, when it is plain that a mortal life is quickly speeding to an end. — Morals on the Book of Job, Book 9

Ecclesiastes 11:9

Gregory the Dialogist: As he doth, in the first place, express the delight of carnal things, and pronounceth it to be good to cast away all care, and to eat and drink: so afterward, with reason and judgment doth he reprove that, when he saith that it is better to go unto the house of mourning, than to the house of feasting: and though he saith that a young man ought to rejoice in his youth, yet doth he utter that as proceeding from the resolution of a carnal mind; seeing afterward, by definitive sentence, he reproveth both youth and pleasure, as vain things. Again there we find it written: O young man, rejoice in thy youth: and yet a little after is added: for youth and pleasure be vain things. Seeing, therefore, he doth afterward reprove that for vain, which before he seemed to allow: plainly doth he declare that he spake those words as it were of carnal concupiscence, and the other of a right and true judgment. — Dialogues, Book 4, Chapter 4

Jerome: “Rejoice, O young man, in your youth; and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth, and walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes: but know, that for all these things God will bring you into judgement. Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity. "

CHAPTER 12 — Commentary on Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 11:10

Augustine of Hippo: Therefore, if anger has held out with most shameful boldness in the heart of any one of you until these holy days, now at least let it depart. [Thus] your prayer may proceed in peace and … may not stumble, tremble, or become mute under the pricking of conscience when it has come to that passage where it must say, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive also our debtors.” — SERMON 208:2

Didymus the Blind: In Scripture the spirit is continuously called “heart.”The passage therefore means: Even if we sometimes are caught up in anger, this “anger” should not be allowed into the “heart,” so that the anger does not become a permanent condition. And when suddenly a desire comes up in the part of the soul which deals with desire, this desire should not be transferred to the spirit and to the part of the soul that deals with reason. Otherwise it becomes a permanent condition and not just an affect or a precondition for this affect, but simply evil.… If “anger is banished from your heart,” you will not do evil through the members of your body. Whoever is caught by anger often fights and may even decide to kill. Thus, if you “banish anger from your heart,” then evil, which comes about through deeds, will vanish as well. — COMMENTARY ON Ecclesiastes 337:20

Ephrem the Syrian: Put sorrow far from your flesh and sadness from your thoughts, except only that for your sins you should be constant in sadness. Cease not from labor, not even though you are rich, for the slothful person gains manifold guilt by his idleness. — HOMILY ON ADMONITION AND REPENTANCE 15