HEBREW WORD STUDY – SEND – SHALAH שלה Shin Lamed Hei
Ecclesiastes 11:1: “Ship your grain across the sea; after many days you may receive a return.” .NIV
Ecclesiastes 11:1: “Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find it after many days.” KJV
Ecclesiastes 11:1: “Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, [be diligently active, make thoughtful decisions], for you will find it after many days.” Amplified Bible
Ecclesiastes 11:1: “Be generous, and someday you will be rewarded.” Contemporary English Version
Ecclesiastes 11:1: “Invest your money in foreign trade, and one of these days you will make a profit.” Good News
Ecclesiastes 11:1: “Send your grain overseas, for after many days you will get a return.” NET Bible
I have presented six different English translations of this verse in Ecclesiastes and I get six very different translations and interpretations. These words were written by King Solomon who wrote the book of Ecclesiastes to express the despair and meaninglessness of life, apart from God and living a life according to the way God designed and created us.
According to the NIV there must be some meaning to life in shipping your grain overseas and getting a return on your investment. That sounds like a capitalistic meaning to life, earn lots of money. Good News talks of making a wise investments overseas, that should surely bring a positive meaning to your life. The Good News Bible seems to be a little closer to, what I perceive, God’s heart. Be generous and someday you will be rewarded. Although doesn’t this idea of getting rewarded conflict with the teaching of Jesus in Luke 6:34: “And if ye lend [to them] of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.” In a way the Amplified Bible is saying pretty much the same, “be diligently active, make thoughtful decisions.” Again, this sounds like using good capitalistic business sense. I mean God is a capitalist, at least from what I discern from many sermons I listen to around the time a church has a building program or debates a pastor salary. I listen to some really sound Christian financial advisors on Christian radio who quote some great financial advice from Scripture.
Yet, from reading the Book of Ecclesiastes written by the richest, most prosperous man in the world who finds everything money can buy to be vanity, haval in Hebrew which means worthless, why would he be offering financial advice if riches and rewards are so unfulfilling? I am not accusing these translators and paraphrasers to be wrong, I am just saying that I see a different context than they do and hence my translation, like theirs, follows the context as I see it.
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Would you like Chaim Bentorah as your personal Hebrew teacher?
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First let’s look at this word for cast, shalah in Hebrew which is in Piel (intensive) form and means to move to a goal and abandon. It is also used for giving a gift. In a way that is like moving toward a goal with a gift and then abandoning the gift when you reach your goal or the person to whom the gift is intended. A second word to look closely at is the word for finding which is matsa’. That is what throws everyone off. Why throw a perfectly good loaf of bread into the waters, abandon it and then after many days you find it again. That sounds awful soggy to me and that bread would be quite worthless. Matsa’ could also, in rare cases, mean to a return of a favor. Still, many translators find the need to determine a proper context and fit their translations to that context. However, I read in Talmudic Literature an interesting story behind this verse. Talmudic Literature is not inspired so I cannot say for sure this really happened although it is believed to be based on a true story.
The story goes that when King Solomon was building the temple there was a certain material he felt God wanted to use in the temple but only one kingdom in the known world had this material and the king of that realm was not favorable to King Solomon or the Jewish God and refused to sell the material to King Solomon. Solomon sent many emissaries offering exorbitant bids for this material only to be constantly turned down. Finally, King Solomon assembled is entourage and traveled to this kingdom personally in a hoping he could personally persuade the king to sell him that material. The king flatly refused to sell the material at any price. Placing the matter in God’s hand Solomon prepared to return to his own kingdom failing to get the material he needed. Just as he was about to leave a servant approached King Solomon and said that his master wished to speak to him. When Solomon approached the king the king said that Solomon could take all the material he needed and wanted. When Solomon asked the price the king said there was no charge it was free. Solomon asked why the king changed his mind and the king handed Solomon a blanket with the mogan dovad (Star of David) stenciled on it and said: “This is your symbol and I assume it is your blanket.” King Solomon acknowledge that it was and asked how he came by it. The king told how he went to war with another kingdom some months earlier. His son was captured. But after many months of torture and starvation, he escaped. However, he was very weak from lack of food and barely made it to an Oasis. There was no way he could make it home without nourishment. By a stream of water running through the oasis he found this blanket and wrapped in the blanket was all the food he needed to strengthen himself and return home. It is an old custom in the Middle East that when you travel through the desert and reach an oasis, if you have extra food you leave it by a stream of water for travelers who may need the food. For one day you may arrive at an oasis in need of supplies yourself and you will be assured of finding such supplies. The king told Solomon that he saved his son’s life and because of that he was giving Solomon the material he needed free of any charge.
So maybe this verse is giving financial advice, I like to think this financial advice is a lesson in sharing. We are to give without expecting a repayment. But if we are generous, one day we may be in need, our generosity may just return to you at a time when we are in need
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Thanks & Blessings, it means a lot to me!
Thank you teacher, for the part about how they would leave food at an oasis. I have gained understanding many times simply by learning something that was “cultural”, “slang”, even “traditional” sometimes. I so enjoy your teachings.
I enjoy your Hebrew word studies, thank you.
To “cast your bread upon the waters” sounds like an idiom. Who would “cast their bread upon the waters”? This sounds like something fishermen might do to attract fish, in the same way fishermen nowadays cast berley into the water. If this were true then there is a sense of risk… throwing away good food in order to obtain better food. It is a case of abandoning something you have in order to obtain a goal.
The saying then becomes “you have to invest in order to get what you are after” or “you have to give up something of what you have in order to get what you are after”.
Of course, I cannot say I have evidence that this is what the saying means, but it seems to make sense.
Thanks again for the word studies.
The interpretation God gives to me of Ec 11:1
It is man who puts $ value on things. God puts vaslue on generous giving. God’s ways are higher than man’s ways and God’s thought higher than man’s thoughts. When one gives with a pure heart, God Almighty, the supplier of all good things pours into one’s lap a measure pressed down, shaken together and overflowing. It is more blessed to give than to receive. God is faithful to His Word.
Today in vision i saw what appeared as an aircraft setting in the midst of many grain silos. Now today the word of Ec. 11:1 is sent to me. The grain (seed) is the Word of God. And the air craft is in reference to taking God’s Word over seas thus meaning to distant lands. To know God is to Love God and to Love God is to Obey God. Word sent in obedience to God whom i love. Be blessed my friend.
If I relinquish control over my resources then God can do something far greater than would ever have been possible if I had held on to them.
Thank you for your bread cast upon the waters.
What a beautiful interpretation. I love this story not just because King Solomon by miracle got the material he wanted but because the kings son benefited from a life saving gesture by wisdoms child, and that is the greater joy.
I like your interpretation. I believe it is the way God would have us live. Thank you.
Thank you my Dear Teacher, for another insightful lesson .
Actually in Luke 6:35 Jesus does say that you will receive a reward . Sadly this scripture leads many naive people to be scammed .There have been scammers claiming to be evangelicals who tell people to give them ” seed money ” to help support their ministry and God will reward them with a lot more money . Many people have lost their life savings while these scammers live an extravagant lifestyle. Jesus makes it very clear that we shouldn’t give in order to get something.
Take care my good people and may God give you the biggest hug because that is worth more than money can buy .😇
Love this…I have always seen the teaching of give to get as just not right but this…makes so much sense, simple and yet profound. It’s sort of a pay it forward concept. I have more than I need so give and perhaps if or when I have a need I may receive too and I do. This is far more than monetary in my mind. It very well could be a sharing of my experiences, strengths and hopes that encourages someone else to carry on. I need this too! Keep sharing please!