Ecclesiastes 1:6 BSB

Ecclesiastes 1:6

The wind blows southward, then turns northward; round and round it swirls, ever returning on its course.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it turneth about continually in its course, and the wind returneth again to its circuits.

KJV

The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.

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Commentary

2 voices

John Gill

1697–1771

Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763)

The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north,.... The word "wind" is not in this clause in the original text, but is taken from the next, and so may be rendered, "it goeth towards the south", &c. that is, the sun (x) before mentioned, which as to its diurnal and nocturnal course in the daytime goes towards the south, and in the night towards the north; and as to its annual course before the winter solstice it goes to the south, and before the summer solstice to the north, as interpreters observe.

The record, by era

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

“The wind is continually whirling about, and the wind returneth upon its whirlings.” It is plain, from the clause which I have restored to the fifth verse, that the author refers to the approximations of the sun to the northern and southern tropics, viz., of Cancer and Capricorn. All the versions agree in applying the first clause of the sixth verse to the sun, and not to the wind. Our version alone has mistaken the meaning. My old MS.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

14 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
הוֹלֵךְ֙	ho.leKh	[it is] going	H1980 →
אֶל־	'el-	to	H413 →
דָּר֔וֹם	da.Rom	[the] south	H1864 →
וְסוֹבֵ֖ב	ve.so.Vev	and [it is] circling	H5437 →
אֶל־	'el-	to	H413 →
צָפ֑וֹן	tza.Fon	[the] north	H6828 →
סוֹבֵ֤ב׀	so.Vev	circling around	H5437 →
סֹבֵב֙	so.Vev	circling around	H5437 →
הוֹלֵ֣ךְ	ho.Lekh	[is] going	H1980 →
הָר֔וּחַ	ha.Ru.ach	the wind	H7307 →
וְעַל־	ve.'al-	and on	H5921 →
סְבִיבֹתָ֖יו	se.vi.vo.Tav	circuits its	H5439 →
שָׁ֥ב	shav	[is] returning	H7725 →
הָרֽוּחַ׃	ha.Ru.ach	the wind	H7307 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
John 3:8
The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
leads to
- Ecclesiastes 11:4–5
  He who watches the wind will fail to sow, and he who observes the clouds will fail to reap.
- 1 Corinthians 2:11
  For who among men knows the thoughts of man except his own spirit within him? So too, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
- Acts 2:2
  Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
- Ezekiel 37:9
  Then He said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and tell the breath that this is what the Lord GOD says: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe…
- 1 John 2:29
  If you know that He is righteous, you also know that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of Him.
Through
Ecclesiastes 11:5
As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the bones are formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.
leads to
- John 3:8
  The wind blows where it wishes. You hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
- Psalms 92:5
  How great are Your works, O LORD, how deep are Your thoughts!
Through
Psalms 107:29
He calmed the storm to a whisper, and the waves of the sea were hushed.
leads to
- Matthew 8:26
  “You of little faith,” Jesus replied, “why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was perfectly calm.

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About Ecclesiastes

King Solomon in Old Age — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain

Ecclesiastes: the study guide →Read chapter 1 →The featured study →

Continue: Ecclesiastes 1 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About Ecclesiastes

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About Ecclesiastes