Verses 1-2 are the theme-setting verses for the section. They represent two sayings quoted by Qoheleth because they make the point he will illustrate in what follows. They are the first in the series of parallel pairs of lines that open this portion of the book. The other pairs are found in verse 3 and verse 4. The use of parallel sentences is important in the introduction to the subsection because it balances the twin themes: there are some things we can find out, and there are other things we can never know.

Verse 1 is a general saying similar to one found in Arabic literature. It probably is a call to be generous, which will eventually have its reward. When we are dealing with quotations in Qoheleth, however, it is more important to ask what meaning they have in their present context, rather than to ask what they may have meant originally. This is because Qoheleth uses such quotations as a starting point from which to present his own views.

Cast your bread: we shall see in the parallel saying in verse 2 that the introductory imperatives Cast and Give represent actions of distribution or giving. The object bread can mean food, but a wide variety of interpretations will be found in the commentaries. Some argue that bread is a metaphor for merchandise, and that the call is to engage in foreign trade; compare Good News Translation “Invest your money in foreign trade.” One scholar recommends a meaning similar to “riches,” while yet another scholar thinks that it refers to the seed the farmer scatters on his fields. This latter is not very different from New English Bible “Send your grain across the seas.” Others see it as a general call to be more generous; this is the traditional Jewish interpretation. How do we make a decision about meaning here? We recommend that we let the structure of the unit play a part in helping us decide. What this means is that we take seriously the fact that Qoheleth begins with two parallel pieces of advice. Each must be saying something similar, so we allow them to shed light on one another. Thus “casting bread” and “giving a portion” are parallel. Bread therefore represents anything we give away.

The word Cast can be rendered as “throw,” or perhaps more correctly as “send” or “place.” The same verb is used elsewhere for sending news and messengers. The context gives the impression that what is thrown is floating on the surface, so a verb with this meaning is probably better than a verb of narrower meaning, such as “plunge” or “throw to the depths.”

Upon the waters is an adverbial clause. Here too commentators show a wide variety of understanding. Waters may represent the oceans and so support the idea of foreign trade. One commentator sees it as “moist ground” and so thinks of it as the place where a farmer sows crops. The phrase is literally “on the face of the waters.” Thus we have the impression that something is floating on the surface. Many languages use exactly the same idiom (“face” of the water), in which case the expression can be translated literally. In Hebrew the noun “water” always has a plural form, but this may not be natural in other languages.

Clearly the first half of the verse is an ancient saying from a background no longer known to us. Under these circumstances we recommend a fairly literal translation as the safest treatment. This seems wiser than giving a narrower translation (as in Good News Translation) that excludes other possible interpretations. If the translator feels it is necessary, a footnote can be added stating something like “Some see this verse as one that encourages foreign investment [by way of shipping merchandise overseas].” Otherwise we can give the rendering without a footnote and let the context (verse 2) speak for itself. We can identify this as a quotation by adding “It is said that ‘Cast…’ ” or “There is a saying, ‘Cast….’ ”

For you will find it after many days: if we return to the parallel structure of these first two verses, we can state that the second half of verse 1 carries the major point Qoheleth wishes to make. Here, then, Qoheleth has used the quotation to say that we may give something away (“cast our bread”), but we shall soon get something back. If this is a correct view, then the important connective ki can be rendered for as in Revised Standard Version, as the emphatic “indeed,” or even as “and yet.”

You will find is the verb expressing the result of giving things away. Throughout the book Qoheleth has placed special emphasis on the verb “find.” He has told us in 7.23-29 and 8.17, for example, that there are certain things that we human beings can “find out,” and there are many things we cannot “find out.” Here in verse 1 he claims that, even if we give something away, we shall soon after find it. This is a positive statement about what a person can find. Find is one of two theme-setting verbs for the discussion that follows. Thus it appears that Qoheleth quotes this first saying because it assures readers that there are some things that we can know or find out.

We probably can translate find quite literally without causing any misunderstanding. The object it refers back to whatever it was we distributed, and again a literal rendering of the pronoun will generally be satisfactory. In many languages, however, it may be more natural to say “it will come back to you.” This reflects the meaning but loses the impact of the verb “find,” which as we have seen is a key term in the entire subsection. The same is true of New Revised Standard Version “You will get it back.”

Although the quotation has used an imperative form at the beginning, Cast, it is also possible to convey the sense of the saying as a conditional statement, “If you cast … you will indeed find….”

As before, Good News Translation interprets this part of the verse as dealing with financial matters: “You will make a profit.” New English Bible gives a similar rendering, “… you will get a return.” Both these models restrict the reader to one particular interpretation. We prefer, then, to translate more generally, as suggested above, and, if need be, make additional comments in footnotes (see Jerusalem Bible).

After many days, literally “in many days,” is very general and can be rendered as Revised Standard Version does or as “after some time.” Good News Translation treats it as “one of these days,” which is acceptable even if slightly colloquial. Jerusalem Bible offers “at long last,” suggesting that the person waiting was patient and persevering.

For translation, then, we recommend a rather literal rendering:

• Send your bread on the surface of the water. After many days you will find it again.

• It is said, “If you throw your bread on the waters, in time you will indeed find it [get it back] again.”

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell. A Handbook on the Book of Ecclesiates. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .