Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.

ECCLESIASTES 11:2KJV
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Ecclesiastes 11:2 (KJV)

What does Ecclesiastes 11:2 mean?

Ecclesiastes 11:2 advises sharing what you have with several people—“seven, and also to eight”—because you cannot predict what trouble or disaster (“evil”) might happen on earth. The verse encourages spreading out generosity or resources as a wise response to life’s uncertainties.

In Ecclesiastes, the Teacher (traditionally understood as Solomon) speaks to anyone seeking wisdom about how to live in an unpredictable world. The setting is practical advice for daily life, not just spiritual matters. The verse uses numbers (“seven, and also to eight”) as a way of saying “give to many,” highlighting the value of not putting everything in one place or relying on only one plan.

The Hebrew behind Ecclesiastes 11:2

  • “Give” (נָתַן, natan, H5414) means to hand over or distribute, emphasizing an active choice to share rather than simply letting things happen.
  • “Portion” (חֵלֶק, cheleq, H2506) refers to a share or allotment, suggesting dividing what you have among others rather than keeping it all for yourself.
  • “Evil” (רָעָה, ra‘ah, H7451) here means trouble, disaster, or misfortune, not just moral evil. The verse is about practical dangers or hardships that might arise.
  • “Earth” (אֶרֶץ, erets, H776) means the land or world, pointing to real-life events that can affect anyone, not just abstract or spiritual problems.

Why Ecclesiastes 11:2 matters

  • The verse is sometimes misunderstood as only about charity, but it also speaks to wise planning and not being overconfident about the future.
  • The advice connects to the wider passage, where the Teacher urges readers to act with generosity and foresight because life is unpredictable.
  • The use of “seven, and also to eight” shows a Hebrew way of stressing “even more than you think,” encouraging open-handedness beyond the minimum.

Where else these words appear

“portion” Hebrew H2506 · used in 63 verses

  • Genesis 14:24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.
  • Joshua 22:27 But that it may be a witness between us, and you, and our generations after us, that we might do the service of the LORD before him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace offerings; that your children may not say to our children in time to come, Ye have no part in the LORD.
  • Ecclesiastes 2:10 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.

“eight” Hebrew H8083 · used in 105 verses

  • Genesis 5:4 And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:
  • 1 Kings 7:10 And the foundation was of costly stones, even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits.
  • 2 Chronicles 34:8 Now in the eighteenth year of his reign, when he had purged the land, and the house, he sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah the governor of the city, and Joah the son of Joahaz the recorder, to repair the house of the LORD his God.