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.
Plant your seeds in the morning, and don't stop working in the evening either. You don't know which efforts will succeed, the morning ones, the evening ones, or maybe both will turn out equally well.
The writer is encouraging us to work diligently at all times because we can't predict which of our efforts will be successful.
📚 Historical Context
Ecclesiastes was written during the time of King Solomon in ancient Israel, around the 10th century BC, as a collection of wisdom sayings that reflect on the uncertainties and vanities of life under the sun. In this verse, the author uses the metaphor of sowing seeds in the morning and evening to emphasize the value of persistent effort and diversification in daily work, drawing from the agrarian lifestyle where outcomes like crop yields were unpredictable due to factors such as weather and soil. This advice fits into the broader biblical theme of wisdom literature, which encourages prudent living amid life's unknowns.
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