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Ecclesiastes
Chapter Twelve
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO ECCLESIASTES 12
This
chapter begins with advice to young men, which is continued from the preceding;
and particularly to remember their Creator in the days of their youth; enforced
from the consideration of the troubles and inconveniences of old age, Ecclesiastes 12:1;
which, in an allegorical way, is beautifully described, Ecclesiastes 12:2;
and from the certainty of death, when it would be too late, Ecclesiastes 12:7. And
then the wise man returns to his first proposition, and which he kept in view
all along, that all is vanity in youth or old age, Ecclesiastes 12:8;
and recommends the reading of this book, from the diligence, pains and labour,
he used in composing it; from the sententious matter in it; from the agreeable,
acceptable, and well chosen words, in which he had expressed it; and from the
wisdom, uprightness, truth, efficacy, and authority of the doctrines of it, Ecclesiastes 12:9;
and from its preference to other books, which were wearisome both to author and
reader, Ecclesiastes 12:12.
And it is concluded with the scope and design, the sum and substance of the
whole of it, reducible to these two heads; the fear of God, and obedience to
him, Ecclesiastes 12:13;
and which are urged from the consideration of a future judgment, into which all
things shall be brought, Ecclesiastes 12:14.
Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember now
your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the
years draw near when you say, “I have no pleasure in them”:
YLT 1Remember also thy Creators
in days of thy youth, While that the evil days come not, Nor the years have
arrived, that thou sayest, `I have no pleasure in them.'
Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth,.... Or
"Creators"F2בוראיך
"Creatorum tuorum", Drusius, Gejerus, Rambachius; so Broughton. ; as
"Makers", Job 35:10; for more
than one were concerned, as in the creation of all things in general, so of man
in particular, Genesis 1:26; and
these are neither more nor fewer than three; and are Father, Son, Spirit; the
one God that has created men, Malachi 2:10; the
Father, who is the God of all flesh, and the Father of spirits; the former both
of the bodies and souls of men, Jeremiah 31:27; the
Son, by whom all things are created; for he that is the Redeemer and husband of
his church, which are characters and relations peculiar to the Son, is the
Creator, Isaiah 43:1; and
the Holy Spirit not only garnished the heavens, and moved upon the face of the
waters, but is the Maker of men, and gives them life, Job 33:4. Now this
God, Creator, should be "remembered" by young men; they should
remember there is a God, which they are apt to be forgetful of; that this God
is a God of great and glorious perfections, omniscient, omnipresent,
omnipotent, holy, just, and true; who judgeth in the earth, and will judge the
world in righteousness, and them also; and that he is in Christ a God gracious,
merciful, and pardoning iniquity, transgression, and sin: they should remember
him under this character, as a "Creator", who has made them, and not
they themselves; that they are made by him out of the dust of the earth, and
must return to it; that he has brought them into being, and preserved them in
it, and favoured them with the blessings of his providence, which are all from
him that has made them: and they should remember the end for which they are
made, to glorify him; and in what state man was originally made, upright, pure,
and holy; but that he now is a fallen creature, and such are they, impure and
unrighteous, impotent and weak, abominable in the sight of God, unworthy to
live, and unfit to die; being transgressors of the laws of their Creator, which
is deserving of death: they should remember what God their Creators, Father,
Son, and Spirit, must have done or must do for them, if ever they are saved;
the Father must have chosen them in Christ unto salvation; must have given his
Son to redeem, and must send his Spirit into their hearts to create them anew;
the Son must have been surety for them, assumed their nature, and died in their
room and stead; and the Spirit must regenerate and make them new creatures,
enlighten their minds, quicken their souls, and sanctify their hearts: they
should remember the right their Creator has over them, the obligations they are
under to him, and their duty to him; they should remember, with thankfulness,
the favours they have received from him, and, with reverence and humility, the
distance between him, as Creator, and them as creatures: they should remember
to love him cordially and sincerely; to fear him with a godly fear; to worship
him in a spiritual manner; to set him always before them, and never forget him.
And all this they should do "in the days their youth"; which
are their best and choicest day in which to serve him is most desirable by him,
acceptable to him; who ordered the first of the ripe fruits and creatures of
the first year to be offered to him: and then are men best able to serve him,
when their bodies are healthful, strong, and vigorous; their senses quick, and
the powers and faculties of their souls capable of being improved and enlarged:
and to delay the service of him to old age, as it would be very ungrateful and
exceeding improper, so no man can be sure of arriving to it; and if he should,
yet what follows is enough to determine against such a delay;
while the evil days come not; meaning the days of old
age; said to be evil, not with respect to the evil of fault or sin; so all days
are evil, or sin is committed in every age, in infancy, in childhood, in youth,
in manhood, as well as in old age: but with respect to the evil of affliction
and trouble which attend it, as various diseases; yea, that itself is a
disease, and an incurable one; much weakness of body, decay of intellects, and
many other things, which render life very troublesome and uncomfortableF3Plautus
in Aulular. Act. 1. Sc. 1. v. 4. Menaechm. Act. 5. Sc. 2. v. 6. calls old age,
"mala aetas"; and the winter of old age, Trinummus, Act. 2. Sc. 3. v.
7. And Pindar, γηρας ουλομενον,
Pyth. Ode 10. so Theognis, v. 272, 776, 1006. And Homer, γηρας
λυτρος, Iliad. 10. v.
79. &. 23. v. 644. "Tristis senectus", Virgil. Aenid. 6. , as
well as unfit for religious services;
nor the years draw nigh, when thou shall say, I have no pleasure
in them; that is, corporeal pleasure; no sensual pleasure; sight, taste,
and hearing, being lost, or in a great measure gone; which was Barzillai's
case, at eighty years of age: though some ancient persons have their senses
quick and vigorous, and scarce perceive any difference between youth and age;
but such instances are not common: and there are also some things that ancient
persons take pleasure in, as in fields and gardens, and the culture of them, as
CiceroF4De Seuectute, c. 14, 15. observes; and particularly learned
men take as much delight in their studies in old age as in youth, and in
instructing others; and, as the same writerF5Ibid. c. 8. says,
"what
is more pleasant than to see an old man, attended and encircled with youth, at
their studies under him?'
and
especially a good man, in old age, has pleasure in reflecting on a life spent
in the ways, work, and worship of God; and in having had, through the grace of
God, his conversation in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity; as also
in present communion with God, and in the hopes and views of the glories of
another world: but if not religious persons, they are strangers to spiritual
pleasure, which only is to be had in wisdom's ways; such can neither look back
with pleasure on a life spent in sin; nor forward with pleasure, at death and
eternity, and into another world; see 2 Samuel 19:35.
Ecclesiastes 12:2 2 While
the sun and the light, The moon and the stars, Are not darkened, And the clouds
do not return after the rain;
YLT 2While that the sun is not
darkened, and the light, And the moon, and the stars, And the thick clouds
returned after the rain.
While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not
darkened,.... The wise man proceeds to describe the infirmities of old
age, and the troubles that attend it; in order to engage young men to regard
God and religion, before these come upon them, which greatly unfit for his
service. This the Targum and Midrash, and, after them, Jarchi, interpret of the
splendour of the countenance of man, of the light of his eyes, and the beauty
of his cheeks, and other parts of his face; which decrease and go off at old
age, and paleness and wrinkles succeed: and others of the adversities and
calamities which attend persons at such years; which are sometimes in Scripture
signified by the darkening of the sun, moon, and stars, Isaiah 13:10; but
some choose to understand this, more literally, of the dimness of sight in old
men; by whom the light of the sun, moon, and stars, is scarcely discerned: but
as this infirmity is afterwards described, I rather think with others, that by
the "sun", "light", and "moon", are meant the
superior and inferior faculties of the soul, the understanding, mind, judgment,
will, and affections; and, by the "stars", those bright notions and ideas
raised in the fancy and imagination, and fixed in the memory; all which are
greatly impaired or lost in old age: so Alshech interprets the sun and moon of
the soul and spirit, and the stars of the senses; "light" is not in
the Syriac version;
nor the clouds return after the rain; which some
understand of catarrhs, defluxions, and rheums, flowing at the eyes, nose, and
mouth, one after another, which frequently attend, and are very troublesome to
persons in years; but may be more generally applied to the perpetual succession
of evils, afflictions, and disorders, in old age; as soon as one is got over,
another follows, billow after billow; or, like showers in April, as soon as one
is gone, another comes. The Targum paraphrases it of the eyebrows distilling
tears, like clouds after rain.
Ecclesiastes 12:3 3 In
the day when the keepers of the house tremble, And the strong men bow down; When
the grinders cease because they are few, And those that look through the
windows grow dim;
YLT 3In the day that keepers of
the house tremble, And men of strength have bowed themselves, And grinders have
ceased, because they have become few. And those looking out at the windows have
become dim,
In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble,.... By the
"house" is meant the human body; which is a house of clay, the
earthly house of our tabernacle, in which the soul dwells, Job 4:19, 2 Corinthians 5:1.
The Targum interprets the keepers of the house, of the knees and the trembling
of them; but the Midrash and Jarchi, much better, of the ribs; man being fenced
with bones and sinews, as Job says, Job 10:11; though
trembling cannot be well ascribed to them, they being so fixed to the backbone:
rather therefore, as Aben Ezra, the hands and arms are meant; which work for
the maintenance of the body, and feed it with food, got and prepared by them;
and which protect and defend it from injuries; for all which they are fitted,
and made strong by the God of nature. The Arabic version renders it, "both
keepers"; and, doubtless, respects both hands and arms; and which, in old
age, are not only wrinkled, contracted, and stiff, but attended with numbness,
pains, and tremor. Some, not amiss, take in the head; which is placed as a
watchtower over the body, the seat of the senses; which overlooks, guards, and
keeps it, and which often through paralytic disorders, and even the weakness of
old age, is attended with a shaking;
and the strong men shall bow themselves; it is strange
the Targum and Midrash should interpret this of the arms, designed in the
former clause; Jarchi and Aben Ezra, more rightly, of the thighs; it takes in
thighs, legs, and feet, which are the basis and support of the human body; and
are strengthened for this purpose, having stronger muscles and tendons than any
other parts of the body; but these, as old age comes on, are weakened and
distorted, and bend under the weight of the body, not being able, without
assistance, to sustain it;
and the grinders cease because they are few; the Targum
is,
"the
teeth of the mouth:'
all
agree the teeth are meant; only the Midrash takes in the stomach also, which,
like a mill, grinds the food. There are three sorts of teeth; the fore teeth,
which bite the food, and are called "incisores": the eye teeth,
called "canini", which bruise and break the food; and the double
teeth, the hindermost, which are called "dentes molares", the
grinding teeth; and which being placed in the upper and nether jaw, are like to
millstones, broad and rough, and rub against each other and grind the food, and
prepare it for the stomach: these, in old age, rot and drop out, and become few
and straggling, one here and another there; and, not being over against each
other, are of no use, but rather troublesome;
and those that look out of the windows be darkened; the eyes, as
the Targum and Ben Melech; and all agree that those that look out are the eyes,
or the visive rays: the "windows" they look through are not
spectacles; for it is questionable whether they were in use in Solomon's time,
and, however, they are not parts of the house; but either the holes in which
the eyes are, and so the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions render it, to
which the Targum agrees, paraphrasing it, the strong bounds of the head; and
which are no other than what oculists call the orbits of the eye: or else the
eyelids, which open and shut like the casement of a window, and through which,
being opened, the eyes look; or the humours of the eye, the watery,
crystalline, and glassy, which are transparent, and through which the visive
rays pass; or the tunics, or coats of the eye, particularly the "tunica
aranea" and "cornea"; as also the optic nerves, and especially
the "pupilla", or apple of the eye, which is perforated or bored for
this purpose: now these, in old age, become weak, or dim, or thick, or
contracted, or obstructed by some means or another by which the sight is
greatly hindered, and is a very uncomfortable circumstance; this was Isaac's
case, Genesis 27:1; but
Moses is an exception to the common case of old men, Deuteronomy 34:7.
Ecclesiastes 12:4 4 When
the doors are shut in the streets, And the sound of grinding is low; When one
rises up at the sound of a bird, And all the daughters of music are brought
low.
YLT 4And doors have been shut in
the street. When the noise of the grinding is low, And [one] riseth at the
voice of the bird, And all daughters of song are bowed down.
And the doors shall be shut in the streets,.... The
Midrash and Jarchi interpret these of the holes of the body; in which they are
followed by our learned and ingenuous countryman, Dr. Smith; who, by them,
understands the inlets and outlets of the body; and, by the
"streets", the ways and passages through which the food goes, and
nourishment is conveyed; and which may be said to be shut, when they cease from
their use: but it seems much better, with Aben Ezra and others, to interpret
them of the lips; which are sometimes called the doors of the mouth, or lips, Psalm 141:3; which
are opened both for speaking and eating; but, in aged persons, are much shut as
to either; they do not choose to speak much, because of the disagreeableness of
their voice, and difficulty of speech, through the shortness of breath, and the
loss of teeth; nor do they open them much to eat, through want of appetite; and
while eating, are obliged, for want of teeth, to keep their lips close, to
retain their food from falling out; they mumble with their lips both in
speaking and eating; and, particularly in public, aged persons care not to
speak nor eat, for the reason following: though some understand it, more
literally, of their having the doors of their houses shut, and keeping within,
and not caring to go abroad in the streets, because of their infirmities so the
Targum,
"thy
feet shall be bound from going in the streets;'
when the sound of the grinding is low; which the
above Jewish writers, and, after them, Dr. Smith, understand of the stomach,
grinding, digesting, and concocting food, and of other parts through which it
is conveyed, and the offices they perform; but sound or voice does not seem so
well to agree with that; rather therefore this is to be understood, as before,
of the grinding of the teeth, through the loss of which so much noise is not
heard in eating as in young men, and the voice in speaking is lower; the Targum
is,
"appetite
of food shall depart from thee;'
and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird; that is, the
aged person, the least noise awakes him out of sleep; and as he generally goes
to bed soon, he rises early at cock crowing, or with the lark, as soon as the
voice of that bird or any other, is heard; particularly the cock, which crows
very early, and whose voice is heard the most early, and is by some writersF6"Inque
suum miseros excitat ales opus", Ovid. Amorum, l. 1. Eleg. 6. v. 66.
"Cristatus ales", ib. Fast. l. 1. v. 455. emphatically called the
bird that calls men to their work;
and all the daughters of music shall be brought low; either those
that make music, and are the instruments of it, as the lungs, the throat, the
teeth, mouth, and lips, so the Targum and Midrash; or those that receive music,
as the ears, and the several parts of them, the cavities of them, particularly
the tympanum and auditory nerve; all which, through old age, are impaired, and
become very unfit to be employed in making music, or in attending to it: the
voice of singing men and singing women could not be heard with pleasure by old
Barzillai, 2 Samuel 19:36.
These clauses are expressive of the weakness which generally old age brings on
men; very few instances are there to the contrary; such as of Caleb, who, at
eighty five years of age, was as strong as at forty; and of Moses, whose
natural force abated not at an hundred and twenty; nor indeed as of Cyrus, who,
when seventy years of age, and near his death, could not perceive that he was
weaker then than in his youthF7Cicero in Catone Majore, sive de
Senectute, c. 8. .
Ecclesiastes 12:5 5 Also
they are afraid of height, And of terrors in the way; When the almond tree
blossoms, The grasshopper is a burden, And desire fails. For man goes to his
eternal home, And the mourners go about the streets.
YLT 5Also of that which is high
they are afraid, And of the low places in the way, And the almond-tree is
despised, And the grasshopper is become a burden, And want is increased, For
man is going unto his home age-during, And the mourners have gone round through
the street.
Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high,.... Not of
the most high God, before whose tribunal they must shortly appear, as some; but
rather of high places, as high hills, mountains, towers, &c. which aged
persons are afraid to go up, because of the feebleness and weakness of their
limbs, their difficulty of breathing, and the dizziness of their heads;
and fears shall be in the way; they do not
care: to go abroad, being afraid of every little stone that lies in the way,
lest they should stumble at it, and fall: some understand this of their fears
of spirits, good or bad; but the former sense is best;
and the almond tree shall flourish; which most interpret of
the hoary head, which looks like an almond tree in blossom; and which, as it comes
soon in the spring, whence it has its name of haste in the Hebrew language; see
Jeremiah 1:11; and
is a sure sign of its near approach; so gray hairs, or the hoary head,
sometimes appear very soon and unexpected, and are a sure indication of the
approach of old age; which CiceroF8Fam. Epist. l. 11. Ep. 58. calls
"aetas praecipitata",
"age
that comes hastily on;'
though
the hoary head, like the almond tree, looks very beautiful, and is venerable,
especially if found in the way of righteousness, Leviticus 19:32;
and the grasshopper shall be a burden; meaning either,
should a grasshopper, which is very light, leap upon an aged person, it would
give him pain, the least burden being uneasy to him; or, should he eat one of
these creatures, the locusts being a sort of food in Judea, it would not sit
well, on his stomach: or the grasshopper, being a crumpled and lean creature,
may describe an old man; his legs and arms emaciated, and his shoulders, back,
and lips, crumpled up and bunching out; and the locust of this name has a bunch
on its backbone, like a camelF9R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 83. 1.
: BochartF11Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 4. c. 8. col. 494. says, that the
head of the thigh, or the hip bone, by the Arabians, is called
"chagaba", the word here used for a locust or grasshopper; which part
of the body is of principal use in walking, and found very troublesome and
difficult to move in old men; and Aben Ezra interprets it of the thigh: the
almond tree, by the Rabbins, as Jarchi says, is interpreted of the hip bone,
which stands out in old age: and the Targum, of this and the preceding clause,
is,
"and
the top of thy backbone shall bunch out, through leanness, like the almond; and
the ankles of thy feet shall be swelled.'
Some,
as Ben Melech observes, understand it of the genital member, and of coitus,
slighted and rejected, because of the weakness of the body; all desires of that
kind being gone, as follows;
and desire shall fail; the appetite, for food,
for bodily pleasures, and carnal delights; and particularly for venery, all the
parts of the body for such uses being weakened, The Septuagint, Vulgate Latin,
Syriac, and Arabic versions, render it, "the caper tree shall be
dissipated", or "vanish", or "its fruit shall
shrink"; so Dr. Smith, who understands it of the decrease of the fluids,
as he does the former clause of the solid parts of the body; and the berries of
this tree are said to excite both appetite and lustF12Avicenna spud
Schindler. Lexic. col. 10. : and so MunsterF13Dictionar. Chaldaic.
p. 13. interprets the word of the berries of the caper tree;
because man goeth to his long home; the grave, as the
Targum, the house appointed for living, where he must lie till the resurrection
morn; his eternal house, as Cicero calls itF14Tusculan. Quaest. l.
2. prope finem. ; and so it may be rendered here, "the house of the
world", common to all the world, where all mankind go: or, "to the
house of his world"F15אל בית עלמו "ad domum seculi
sui", Pagninus. Montanus, Vatablus, Mercerus. ; whether of bliss or woe,
according as his state and character be, good or bad: TheognisF16 γνωμαι v. 1008. vid. v. 244. calls it the dark house of
"hades", or the invisible state; and then this must be understood
with respect to his separate soul, and the mansion of it; and Alshech says,
every righteous man has a mansion to himself; see John 14:2;
and the mourners go about the streets; the relations
of the deceased; or those that go to their houses to comfort them; or the
mourning men and women, hired for that purpose.
Ecclesiastes 12:6 6 Remember your Creator before the
silver cord is loosed,[a] Or the
golden bowl is broken, Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain, Or the wheel
broken at the well.
YLT 6While that the silver cord
is not removed, And the golden bowl broken, And the pitcher broken by the
fountain, And the wheel broken at the well.
Or ever the silver cord be loosed,.... As the above are the
symptoms and infirmities of old age; these in this verse are the immediate
symptoms of death, or what attend it, or certainly issue in it. Some by
"the silver cord" understand the string of the tongue; and to this
purpose is the Targum,
"before
thy tongue is dumb from speaking;'
and
it is observedF17Vid. Castel. Lexic. Hept. col. 3662. in favour of
this sense, that the failing of the tongue is no fallacious sign of death, of
which there is no mention at all in this account, unless here; and the tongue
may not unfitly be called a "cord", both from the notation of the
word because it binds, and because it scourges like a cord, Job 5:21; and is
compared to silver, Proverbs 10:20, and
in this verse rather the head than the back is treated of. But best, the bond
of union between soul and body is meant: the Midrash and Jarchi, and the Jewish
writers in general, interpret it of the "spina dorsi", or backbone;
or rather of the marrow of it, which descends like a cord from the brain
through the neck, and down the backbone to the bottom of it; from whence spring
the nerves, fibres, tendons, and filaments of the body, on which the life of it
much depends: this spinal marrow may be called a "cord" for the
length of it, as well as what arise from it; and a silver cord, from the colour
of itF18Vid. Waser. de Num. Heb. l. 1. c. 13. , this being white
even after death; and for the excellency of it: and this may be said to be
"loosened" when there is a solution of the nerves, or marrow; upon
which a paralysis, or palsy, follows, and is often the immediate forerunner of
death;
or the golden bowl be broken; the Targum renders it
the top of the head; and the Midrash interprets it the skull, and very rightly;
or rather the inward membrane of the skull, which contains the brain, called
the "pia mater", or "meninx", is intended, said to be a
bowl, from the form of it; a "golden" one, because of the preciousness
of it, and the excellent liquor of life it contains, as also because of its
colour; now when this "runs back", as the wordF19תרץ "recurrat", V. L. "excurrit",
Junius & Tremellius. signifies, dries, shrinks up, and breaks, it puts a
stop to all animal motion, and hence death;
or the pitcher be broken at the fountain; not the gall
at the liver, as the Targum, which the ancients took to be the fountain of
blood; but by the "fountain" is meant the heart, the fountain of
life, which has two cavities, one on the right side, the other on the left,
from whence come the veins and arteries, which carry the blood through the
whole body; and here particularly it signifies the right ventricle of the
heart, the spring and original of the veins, which are the pitcher that
receives the blood and transmits it to the several parts of the body; but when
thee are broke to shivers, as the wordF20תשבר.
signifies, or cease from doing their office, the blood stagnates in them, and
death follows;
or the wheel broken at the cistern; which is the left
ventricle of the heart, which by its "diastole" receives the blood
brought to it through the lungs, as a cistern receives water into it; where
staying a while in its "systole", it passes it into the great artery
annexed to it; which is the wheel or instrument of rotation, which, together
with all the instruments of pulsation, cause the circulation of the blood,
found out in the last age by our countryman Dr. Harvey; but it seems by this it
was well known by Solomon; now, whenever this wheel is broken, the pulse stops,
the blood ceases to circulate, and death follows. For this interpretation of
the several preceding passages, as I owe much to the Jewish writers, so to
Rambachius and Patrick on these passages, and to Witsius's "Miscellanies",
and especially to our countryman Dr. Smith, in his "Portrait of Old
Age", a book worthy to be read on this subject; and there are various
observations in the TalmudF21T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 151. 2. & 152.
1. agreeable hereunto.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 7 Then
the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God
who gave it.
YLT 7And the dust returneth to
the earth as it was, And the spirit returneth to God who gave it.
Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was,.... The body,
which is made of dust, and is no other in its present state than dust refined
and enlivened; and when the above things take place, mentioned in Ecclesiastes 12:6,
or at death, it returns to its original earth; it becomes immediately a clod of
earth, a lifeless lump of clay, and is then buried in the earth, where it rots,
corrupts, and turns into it; which shows the frailty of man, and may serve to
humble his pride, as well as proves that death is not an annihilation even of
the body; see Genesis 3:19;
and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it; from whom it
is, by whom it is created, who puts it into the bodies of men, as a deposit urn
they are entrusted with, and are accountable for, and should be concerned for
the safety and salvation of it; this was originally breathed into man at his
first creation, and is now formed within him by the Lord; hence he is called
the God of the spirits of all flesh; see Genesis 2:4. Now at
death the soul, or spirit of man, returns to God; which if understood of the
souls of men in general, it means that at death they return to God the Judge of
all, who passes sentence on them, and orders those that are good to the
mansions of bliss and happiness, and those that are evil to hell and
destruction. So the Targum adds,
"that
it may stand in judgment before the Lord;'
or
if only of the souls of good men, the sense is, that they then return to God,
not only as their Creator, but as their covenant God and Father, to enjoy his
presence evermore; and to Christ their Redeemer, to be for ever with him, than
which nothing is better and more desirable; this shows that the soul is
immortal, and dies not with the body, nor sleeps in the grave with it, but is
immediately with God. Agreeably to all this AristotleF23De Generat.
Animal. l. 2. c. 3. says, the mind, or soul, alone enters θυραθεν,
from without, (from heaven, from God there,) and only is divine; and to the
same purpose are the words of PhocylidesF24
σωμα γαρ εκ γαιης, &c. Poem. Admon. v. 102, 103. So Lucretius
l. 2. "cedit item retro de terra", &c. ,
"the
body we have of the earth, and we all being resolved into it become dust, but
the air or heaven receives the spirit.'
And
still more agreeably to the sentiment of the wise man here, another HeathenF25Macrob.
Saturnal. l. I. c. 10. writer observes, that the ancients were of opinion that
souls are given of God, and are again returned unto him after death.
Ecclesiastes 12:8 8 “Vanity
of vanities,” says the Preacher, “All is vanity.”
YLT 8Vanity of vanities, said
the preacher, the whole [is] vanity.
Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher,.... The wise
man, or preacher, set out in the beginning of the book with this doctrine, or
proposition, which he undertook to prove; and now having proved it by an
induction of particulars, instanced in the wisdom, wealth, honours, pleasures,
and profit of men, and shown the vanity of them, and that the happiness of men
lies not in these things, but in the knowledge and fear of God; he repeats it,
and most strongly asserts it, as an undoubted truth beyond all dispute and
contradiction, that all things under the sun are not only vain, but vanity
itself, extremely vain, vain in the superlative degree;
all is vanity; all things in the world
are vain; all creatures are subject to vanity; man in every state, and in his
best estate, is altogether vanity: this the wise man might with great
confidence affirm, after he had shown that not only childhood and youth are
vanity, but even old age; the infirmities, sorrows, and distresses of which he
had just exposed, and observed that all issue in death, the last end of man,
when his body returns to the earth, and his soul to God the giver of it.
Ecclesiastes 12:9 9 And
moreover, because the Preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge;
yes, he pondered and sought out and set in order many proverbs.
YLT 9And further, because the
preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge, and gave ear, and
sought out -- he made right many similes.
And moreover,.... Or "besides"F26ויתר "praeterea", Tigurine version, Vatablus,
Schmidt. what has been said; or "as to what remains"F1"Quod
reliquum est", Piscator, Gejerus, Amama. ; or "but what is
better", or "more excellent"F2"Quamobrem
potius", Junius & Tremeillius; "and this is a matter of
excellency", Broughton, , is to "hear the conclusion of the whole
matter", the sum and substance of the whole book in a few words, Ecclesiastes 12:13;
to which Ecclesiastes 12:9;
are a preface; and in which the wise man recommends the reading of this book,
and other writings of his, and of other wise men inspired of God; and his own
he particularly recommends, from his character as wise and industrious, in this
verse; and from the subject matter of them, their nature, use, and excellency,
and their efficacy and authority, in the two next;
because the preacher was wise; he was a
"preacher", a royal one, an extraordinary preacher, and to be
regarded; he urges not his title as a king, but his character as a preacher, to
recommend what he had written: every good preacher should be regarded; not such
who are ignorant preachers of the law, but faithful ministers of the Gospel,
who are sent of God, and have felt and experienced what they deliver to others;
and especially who are wise as well as faithful, as Solomon was; he had much
wisdom given him at first, 1 Kings 3:12; and
in which he improved; and though he turned to folly in his old age, he
recovered from that, and gained more wisdom through his fall, and to which he
here seems to have reference; for "Koheleth", which some render the
"gatherer", because he gathered much wisdom, and much people to hear
it; others render "gathered", that is, into the flock and fold again,
the church of God, from which he had strayed; See Gill on Ecclesiastes 1:1;
and having seen through the follies and vanities of life, and being recovered
and restored, was a fitter person to teach and instruct others; see Psalm 51:12;
he still taught the people knowledge; or
"again", as the Targum; after his fall and recovery he was
communicative of his knowledge; he did not hide his talent in the earth, nor in
a napkin; but having freely received he freely gave, and kept back nothing from
his people, the people of the house of Israel, as the Targum, that might be
profitable to them; he taught them the knowledge of themselves, as fallen men,
impure, impotent, and unrighteous; the knowledge of the creatures, and the
vanity of them, of riches, honours, and pleasures; and of works of
righteousness to save men; the knowledge of Christ the Wisdom of God, the
antiquity of his person, his glories, excellencies, and beauties, as in the
books of Proverbs and Canticles; the knowledge of God, his fear and worship,
mind and will; and the knowledge of a future state, and of the general
judgment, as in this book; and in proportion to his own knowledge so he taught:
for thus the words with the preceding may be rendered, that "the more that
the preacher was wise, the more he taught the people knowledge"F3Mercerus
and Cocceius. ; he taught according to the abilities he had received, as
preachers should; the more he grew in grace and knowledge, the more largely be
shared with others; and this he did "daily", as Aben Ezra renders the
words, constantly, continually, incessantly, in season and out of season, as
faithful Gospel ministers do;
yea, he gave good heed; to what he heard and to
what be read, to which the apostle's advice agrees, 1 Timothy 4:13; or
he caused others to hear, and give good heed to what is said, as Aben Ezra; he
engaged their attention by his enlivening discourses; or, as Kimchi, he weighed
things in his own mind, and in the balance of the sanctuary; and thoroughly
considered and digested them before he delivered them to others;
and sought out; was very diligent in investigating truth,
he searched into the mines of knowledge for it, the sacred writings, as one
would for gold and silver, and as he himself directs, Proverbs 2:4;
and set in order many
proverbs; three thousand of them, 1 Kings 4:32;
particularly those which are in the book of that name, penned by him; he
selected the most choice, pithy, and sententious sayings, of his own and
others; and these he huddled not up, or threw them together in a disorderly and
confused manner; but put them together in proper order and method, under proper
heads, as well as in a correct style, that they might be more received, and
more easily retained. The Targum is,
"he
attended to the voice of the wise men, and searched the books of wisdom; and by
a spirit of prophecy from the Lord composed books of wisdom, and very many
proverbs of understanding.'
Ecclesiastes 12:10 10 The
Preacher sought to find acceptable words; and what was written was
upright—words of truth.
YLT 10The preacher sought to find
out pleasing words, and, written [by] the upright, words of truth.
The preacher sought to find out acceptable words,.... Not mere
words, fine and florid ones, the words which man's wisdom teacheth, an elegant
style, or eloquent language; not but that it is proper for a preacher to seek
out and use words suitable and apt to convey right ideas to the minds of men of
what he says; but doctrines are rather here meant, "words of desire",
"delight", and "pleasure"F4דברי
חפץ "verba complacentiae vel beneplaciti",
Vatablus; "verba desiderii", Amama, Rambachius; "verba
delectabilia", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius, Mercerus,
Gejerus; so Broughton; "verba voluptatis", Cocceius. , as the phrase
may be rendered; even of God's good will and pleasure, so Alshech; for the same
word is sometimes used of God in this book and elsewhere: see Ecclesiastes 3:1;
and so may take in the doctrine of God's everlasting love to his people, and
his delight and pleasure in them; of his good will towards them in sending
Christ to suffer and die for them, and save them; in pardoning their sins
through his blood, in which he delights; in regenerating and calling them by
his grace, and revealing the things of the Gospel to them, when he hides them
from others, which is all of his own will and pleasure, and as it seems good in
his sight: or words and doctrines, which are desirable, pleasing, and
acceptable unto men; not that Solomon did, or preachers should, seek to please
men, or seek to say things merely for the sake of pleasing men, for then they
would not be the servants of Christ; nor are the doctrines of the Gospel
pleasing to carnal men, but the reverse: they gnash their teeth at them, as
Christ's hearers did at him; the preaching of a crucified Christ is
foolishness, and the things of the Spirit of God are insipid things, to natural
men; they are enemies to the Gospel: but to sensible sinners they are very
delightful, such as peace, pardon, righteousness, and salvation, by Christ, 1 Timothy 1:15; for
the worth of them, they are more desirable to them than gold and silver, and
are more delightful to the ear than the best of music, and more acceptable to
the taste than honey or the honeycomb, Psalm 19:10;
and that which was written was upright; meaning what
was written in this book, or in any other parts of Scripture, which the
preacher sought out and inculcated; it was according to the mind and will of
God, and to the rest of the sacred word; it was sincere, unmixed, and
unadulterated with the doctrines and inventions of men; it showed that man had
lost his uprightness, had none of himself, and where it was to be had, even in
Christ; and was a means of making men sound, sincere, and upright at heart; and
of directing them to walk uprightly, and to live soberly, righteously, and
godly, in the world;
even words of truth; which come
from the God of truth, that cannot lie, as all Scripture does; of which Christ,
who is the truth, is the sum and substance; and which are inspired by the
Spirit of truth, and led into by him, and made effectual to saving purposes;
and which holds good of the whole Scripture, called the Scripture of truth, Daniel 10:1; and of
the Gospel, which is the word of truth, and of every doctrine of it, John 17:17.
Ecclesiastes 12:11 11 The
words of the wise are like goads, and the words of scholars[b] are like
well-driven nails, given by one Shepherd.
YLT 11Words of the wise [are] as
goads, and as fences planted [by] the masters of collections, they have been
given by one shepherd.
The words of the wise are as goads,.... As the
goad teacheth the ox; so the Targum. Not the words of the wise philosophers of
that age, or of ages before, or since; but of the inspired penmen of the
Scriptures, as Moses, David, Solomon, and of others since; and of all good men,
whose doctrines are agreeably to them; these are like "goads" or
"pricks", sharp pointed sticks or staves, with which men push and
prick their cattle, when driving them from place to place, or ploughing with
them: and of a similar use are the doctrines of the word, when attended with a
divine efficacy; these are a means of pricking sinners to the heart; and of
laying open their vileness and sinfulness to them; and of repentance and
contrition; and of awakening them from a sleep in sin to a sense of their
danger; and even of killing them, as to their own sense and apprehension of
things, and, with respect to their hopes of life, by their own works; as the
Philistines were slain by Shamgar with an ox goad, Judges 3:31; see Acts 2:37; and
these are also of use to the saints, as goads, to stir them up, when slothful,
to the discharge of duty; and to awaken them, when drowsy, out of their carnal
security; and to correct them for their faults, by sharp reproofs and rebukes;
as well as to excite them to go on to perfection, who are apt to sit still and
lie down; and to direct them to walk straight on, without turning to the right
hand or left;
and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies; like these
are the truths and doctrines of the word, when they have a place in the heart,
and become the "ingrafted word" there; when they are
"planted"F5נטועים
"plantati", Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version, Rambachius. in the
soul, as the word signifies; when they are fixed in the mind and memory, and
dwell and abide there: and when as nails, driven into anything, fasten what
they are drove into; so these are the means of fastening souls; of causing them
to cleave to God and Christ; to the church, and his people, and to one another;
and to the Gospel, and their profession of it; hence they are not like
children, tossed to and fro, wavering and unstable: of all which "the
masters of the assemblies" are the instruments; that is, ministers and
pastors of churches. As there were assemblies for religious worship under the
law, in which the prophets, priests, and Levites, assisted; so there are assemblies
or churches under the Gospel dispensation, which are gathered and meet together
for the service of God, and over these the ministers of the word preside; these
are set over the churches in the Lord, and have the rule of them; though they
are not to lord it over God's heritage, or have the dominion over their faith;
but are helpers of their joy, and useful in the above things, through their
ministry. Some choose to render "masters of collections", or
"gatherings"F6בעלי אספות "auctores, vel dominos collectionum",
Montanus, Vatablus, Mercerus, Gejerus. ; and think it may respect their
gathering truths out of the sacred writings, as the bee gathers honey out of
the flowers; in allusion to those that gathered together the choice and pithy
sentences and sayings of others, like the men of Hezekiah, Proverbs 25:1; or
to undershepherds, gathering the sheep into the foldF7Vid. Lightfoot,
vol. 2. p. 575. , by the order of the principal one; who made use of goads, to
drive away thieves or wild beasts; and nails, to preserve the sheepfold whole.
And others think that not the words, but the of the assemblies themselves, are
compared to "nails", and read them, "and the masters of the
assemblies are as nails fastened"F8"Veluti clavi.
infixi sunt domini, vel magistri congregationum", Schmidt. ; are well
established, firm and sure; see Isaiah 22:23; and
others take it to be no other than an epithet of the nails themselves, and
render it, "as nails fixed, which are binders"; that is, great
binding nails, which, being fixed in boards, bind, compact, and hold them
together; to which the words of the wise may be compared, being the means of
compacting and holding together the church of God, comparable to a sheepfold;
hence mention is made of the shepherd in the next clause: or of fixing the
attention of the minds of men unto them, and of retaining them in memory, and
to which they speak of as first principles, and never swerve from themF9Vid.
De Dieu & Cocceium in loc. & Vitringam de Synag. Vet. l. 1. par 2. c.
8. p. 377. & Hyde Not. in Peritzol. Itinera Mundi, p. 94. ; but, that not
ministers, the instruments, but the principal and efficient cause, may have the
glory, is added,
which are given from
one Shepherd; not Zerubbabel, as Grotius; nor Moses, as the Targum, Jarchi,
and Alshech; but Christ, the one Shepherd, set over the flock; and under whom
the masters of assemblies, or pastors of churches, are, Ezekiel 37:23; from
whom they have their gifts and qualifications, their mission and commissions;
and are given to the churches, as pastors and teachers, to feed them, Ephesians 4:10; and
from whom they have their food, the Gospel and the doctrines of it, to feed the
flocks with, assigned to their care, John 17:8; though
this is to be understood not to the exclusion of God, the Father of Christ, by
whom all Scripture is inspired; nor of the Spirit, by whom holy men of God
spake as they were moved, 2 Timothy 3:16.
Ecclesiastes 12:12 12 And
further, my son, be admonished by these. Of making many books there is
no end, and much study is wearisome to the flesh.
YLT 12And further, from these, my
son, be warned; the making of many books hath no end, and much study [is] a
weariness of the flesh.
And further, by these, my son, be admonished,.... Rehoboam,
the son of Solomon, may be intended, for whose sake, more especially, this book
might be written; though it may take in every hearer of this divine preacher,
every disciple of this teacher, every subject of his kingdom, as well as every
reader of this book, whom he thus addresses, and for whom he was affectionately
concerned as a father for a son; that they might be enlightened with divine
knowledge, warned of that which is evil, and admonished and advised to that
which is good; "by these" words and writings of his own, and other
wise men; and by these masters of assemblies, who, and their words, are from
the one and chief Shepherd; to these they would do well to take heed, and to
these only or chiefly. It may be rendered, "and what is the more excellent
of these, he admonished"F11ויתר מהמה "potius inquam ex istis", Junius &
Tremellius; "quod potissimum ex istis", Gejerus. ; to observe what is
mentioned in Ecclesiastes 12:13,
and lies in a few words, "Fear God", &c. and especially Jesus
Christ, the "Alpha" and "Omega", the sum and substance of
the whole Bible; of what had been written in Solomon's time, and has been
since: he is the most excellent part of it; or that which concerns him, in his
person, offices, and grace: or thus; "and what is above", or
"more than these, beware of"F12"Et amplius his, fili
mi, cave", Mercerus. ; do not trouble thyself with any other writings;
these are sufficient, all that is useful and valuable is to be found in them;
and as for others, if read, read them with care and caution, and only as
serving to explain these, and to promote the same ends and designs, or
otherwise to be rejected;
of making many books there is no end; many books,
it seems, were written in Solomon's time; there was the same itch of writing as
now, it may be; but what was written was not to be mentioned with the sacred
writings, were comparatively useless and worthless. Or the sense is, should
Solomon, or any other, write ever so many volumes, it would be quite needless;
and there would be no end of writing, for these would not give satisfaction and
contentment; and which yet was to be had in the word of God; and therefore that
should be closely attended to: though this may be understood, not only of
making or composing books, but of getting them, as Aben Ezra; of purchasing
them, and so making them a man's own. A man may lay out his money, and fill his
library with books, and be very little the better for them; what one writer
affirms, another denies; what one seems to have proved clearly, another rises
up and points out his errors and mistakes; and this occasions replies and
rejoinders, so that there is no end of these things, and scarce any profit by
them; which, without so much trouble, may be found in the writings of wise men,
inspired by God, and in which we should rest contented;
and much study is a weariness of the flesh; the study of
languages, and of each of the arts and sciences, and of various subjects in
philosophy and divinity, particularly in writing books on any of these
subjects; which study is as fatiguing to the body, and brings as much weariness
on it, as any manual and mechanic operation; it dries up the moisture of the
body, consumes the spirits, and gradually and insensibly impairs health, and
brings on weakness, as well as weariness. Some render it, "much
reading", as Jarchi, and so Mr. Broughton; and Aben Ezra observes, that
the word in the Arabic language so signifies: the Arabic word "lahag"
signifies to desire anything greedily, or to be greedily given and addicted to
anythingF13Vid. Castell. Lexic. col. 1874. who gives an instance of
the use of this word in, the following sentence; ולהג
"he that reads with mouth, but his heart is not with it"; and so
Kimchi, in Sepher Shotash, fol. 74. fol. 2. explains the word here,
"learning without understanding". ; and so may denote such kind of
reading here, or such a person who is "helluo", a glutton at books,
as Cato is said to be. And now reading books with such eagerness, and with
constancy, is very wearisome, and is to little advantage; whereas reading the
Scripture cheers and refreshes the mind, and is profitable and edifying.
GussetiusF14Ebr. Comment. p. 431. interprets it of much speaking,
long orations, which make weary.
Ecclesiastes 12:13 13 Let
us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
YLT 13The end of the whole matter
let us hear: -- `Fear God, and keep His commands, for this [is] the whole of
man.
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter,.... Or
"the end"F15סוף דבר הכל "finis verbi
omnis", Pagninus, Montanus, Mercerus; "finis universi negotii",
Tigurine version, so Vatablus. of it. The sum and substance of it, what it all
tends to and issues in; even the whole of what is contained in this book, and
in all offer divinely inspired writings of Solomon or others; of all that were
now written, or before, or since: this the preacher calls upon himself, as well
as his hearers, to attend unto. Or it may be rendered, "the end of the
whole matter is heard"F16נשמע
"auditus est", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Tigurine version,
Mercerus. ; here ends this book; and you have heard the whole of what deserves
regard, and it lies in these few words,
fear God, and keep his commandments: "the fear of
God" includes the whole of internal religion, or powerful godliness; all
the graces of the Spirit, and the exercise of them; reverence of God, love to
him, faith in him, and in his Son Jesus Christ; hope of eternal life from him;
humility of soul, patience and submission to his will, with every other grace;
so the Heathens call religion "metum Deorum"F17Horat.
Carmin. l. 1. Ode 35. v. 36. , the fear of God: and "keeping of the
commandments", or obedience to the whole will of God, is the fruit,
effect, and evidence of the former; and takes in all the commands of God, moral
and positive, whether under the former or present dispensation; and an
observance of them in faith, from a principle of love, and with a view to the
glory of God;
for this is the whole duty of man; or, "this
is the whole man"F18זה כל האדם "hoc (est) omnis
homo", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Mercerus; "omnium hominum
perfectio", Tigurine version; "hoc est totus homo", Cocceius;
"this is all the man", Broughton. ; and makes a man a whole man,
perfect, entire, and wanting nothing; whereas, without this, he is nothing, let
him have ever so much of the wisdom, wealth, honour, and profits of this world.
Or, "this is the whole of every man"F19"Hoc est
omnium hominum", Piscator, Gejerus; "hoc est totum hominis", Junius
& Tremellius. ; either, as we supply it, the duty, work, and business of
every man, of every son of Adam, be he what he will, high or low, rich or poor,
of every age, sex, and condition; or this is the happiness of every man, or
that leads to it; this is the whole of it; this is the "summum
bonum", or chief happiness of men: LactantiusF20De Fals. Sap.
l. 3, c. 10. says, the "summum bonum" of a man lies in religion only;
it lies in this, and not in any outward thing, as is abundantly proved in this
book: and this should be the concern of everyone, this being the chief end of
man, and what, as Jarchi says, he is born unto; or, as the Targum, such should
be the life of every man. The Masoretes begin this verse with a larger letter
than usual, and repeat it at the end of the book, though not accentuated, to
raise the attention of the readerF21Vid. Buxtorf. Tiberius, c. 14.
p. 38. ; that he may make a particular observation of what is said in it, as
being of the greatest moment and importance.
Ecclesiastes 12:14 14 For
God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether
good or evil.
YLT 14For every work doth God
bring into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether good or bad.'
For God shall bring every work into judgment,.... Not in
this life, but in the day of the great judgment, as the Targum explains it;
that is, whatever has been done by men, from the beginning of the world, or
will be to the end; all being observed and taken notice of by the omniscient
God, who has registered them in the book of his remembrance, and, being Judge,
will be able to bring them all into account at that awful day: which is here
given as a reason why men should fear God, and keep his commandments;
with every secret thing; that has been committed in
secret by men, and is unknown to others, even every secret thought of the
heart; see 1 Corinthians 4:5;
or, "with every secret" or "hidden man"F23על כל נעלם
"super omnem occultum, sc. hominem", Schmidt. ; whose works are
hidden from men, and are not known to be what, they are, and who thought to
hide themselves from, God; but these, with their works, shall be brought into
open court in judgment;
whether it be good, or whether it be evil: it shall then
be examined according to the rule of the word, and be judged, and declared to
be what it truly is, good or evil; and so be either rewarded in a way of grace,
or punished: or, "whether the man, the hidden man, be good or
evil"F24"Sive bonus fuerit, sive malus", Schmidt. ,
so Alshech; all mankind, everyone, will he bring into judgment, whether he be
good or evil. This is the last end of all things, and in which every man will
be concerned. This shows, as well as many other things in this book. Solomon's
belief of a future state and judgment; and that there is nothing in it to
encourage the epicure and atheist: which being observed by the ancient Jews,
they readily admitted it into the canon of Scripture.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)