Ecclesiastes — Chapter 12

So appreciate your vigoraSo appreciate your vigor Cf. postbiblical bori; in contrast to others “Remember your Creator.” in the days of your youth, before those days of sorrow come and those years arrive of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”;

before sun and light and moon and stars grow dark, and the clouds come back again after the rain:

When the guards of the housebguards of the house I.e., the arms. become shaky,And the soldierscsoldiers I.e., the legs. are bent,And the maids that grind,dmaids that grind I.e., the teeth. grown few, are idle,And the ladies that peer through the windowseladies that peer through the windows I.e., the eyes. grow dim,

And the doors to the streetfdoors to the street I.e., the ears. are shut—With the noise of the hand mill growing fainter,And the song of the bird growing feebler,ggrowing feebler Exact meaning of Heb. uncertain. And all the strains of music dying down;hstrains of music dying down Cf. 2 Sam. 19.36.

When one is afraid of heightsAnd there is terror on the road.—For the almond tree may blossom,The grasshopper be burdened,iThe grasshopper be burdened Emendation yields “The squill (postbiblical Heb. ḥaṣab) resume its burden,” i.e., its blossom stalk and its leaves. And the caper bush may bud again;jcaper bush may bud again These plants, after seeming dead for part of the year, revive, unlike human beings; cf. Job 14.7–10. But mortals set out for their eternal abode,With mourners all around in the street.—

Before the silver cord snapsAnd the golden bowl crashes,The jar is shattered at the spring,And the jugkjug So in Punic; in contrast to others “wheel.” is smashed at the cistern.lsmashed at the cistern Poetic figure for the end of life.

And the dust returns to the groundAs it was,And the lifebreath returns to GodWho bestowed it.

Utter futility—said Koheleth—All is futile!

A further word: Because Koheleth was a sage, he continued to instruct the people. He listened to and tested the soundnessmsoundness A noun, like dibber (Jer. 5.13), which occurs in such postbiblical phrases as shanim ke-thiq(qe)nan “normal years” (lit. “years according to their propriety”). of many maxims.

Koheleth sought to discover useful sayings and recordednrecorded Heb. we-khathub is equivalent to we-khathob, an infinitive employed as in Esth. 9.16 and elsewhere. genuinely truthful sayings.

The sayings of the wise are like goads, like nails fixed in prodding sticks.oin prodding sticks Meaning of Heb. uncertain. They were given by one Shepherd.pThey were given by one Shepherd Meaning of Heb. uncertain. Emendation yields “They are accounted as a sharp ox goad” (post-biblical mardeaʻ).

A further word: Against them,qAgainst them Emendation yields “Slow, there!” Cf. Arabic mah and mah mah; so also mah (meh) in Prov. 31.2. my son, be warned!The making of many books is without limitAnd much studyrstudy Meaning of Heb. uncertain. is a wearying of the flesh.

The sum of the matter, when all is said and done: Revere God and observe the commandments! For this applies to all humankind:

that God will call every creature to account for everything unknown,severything unknown Emendation yields “all their conduct.” be it good or bad.The sum of the matter, when all is said and done: Revere God and observe the commandments! For this applies to all humankind.