[¹] Hebrew shall be right.
In the morning sow the seed thou oughtest, and to the evening do not withhold thy hand, for THOU canst not tell if it shall succeed, whether this or another, or if all of it shall be alike good.
(6.) In the morning sow thy seed (with את, ‘sow that seed which you ought to sow,’) and to the evening (note the change of preposition, it renders this passage a better introduction to what is to follow: there is a reference to the evening of life) do not withhold thy hand (compare chapter vii. 18, where את is used with this verb, and observe the difference in meaning), for it is not thou who knowest (a repetition of this clause from the preceding verse) whether (but compare 1 Kings xxii. 24, and 1 Samuel ix. 18, showing that the meaning with זה is ‘what way’ or ‘how,’) succeeds (see [chapter x. 10] and references) the this or this, or if both of them as one (ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό ‘to the same,’ LXX.) good (plural; sowing is no doubt taken generically as a type of human labour, performed in expectation of a future harvest, and the Preacher directs us to do our appointed work in patience, and from morning till evening, i.e. the whole day through, sure of a good result. The morning or the evening sowing will, one or other, perhaps both, succeed; the transition to what follows is quite natural).
7 ¶ Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:
Yes, sweet is the light, and a good to the eyes the sight of the sun;
(7.) And sweet (but the participial form ‘sweetened’ is not to be altogether overlooked; thus, ‘is sweetened’) the light, and a good to the eyes to behold (i.e. to have sight of) the sun, (for life is a blessing, and this is a reply to the equivocal ‘I said in my heart’ of chapter iii. 18 and iv. 3).