KJV ORIGINAL
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.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
When clouds are full of rain, they pour it out on the earth. And when a tree falls, whether it falls south or north, it stays right where it lands.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
The writer is saying that some things in life are inevitable and final - when they happen, that's just how it is.
📚 Historical Context
Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes near the end of his life, reflecting on the patterns and certainties he observed in the natural world. In ancient times, people were very familiar with these natural phenomena - rain cycles and falling trees were part of daily agricultural life. This wisdom literature uses simple, observable truths from nature to teach deeper lessons about life's certainties.
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