The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 12:6
Or ever ; i.e. before, ere ( ad asher lo ). The words recall us to Ecclesiastes 12:1 and Ecclesiastes 12:2 , bidding the youth make the best use of his time ere old age cuts him off. In the present paragraph the final dissolution is described under two figures. The silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken. This is evidently one figure, which would be made plainer by reading "and" instead of "or," the idea being that the lamp is shattered by the snapping of the cord that... read more
The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 12:5
Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high . There is no "when" in the original, which runs, "Also, or yea, they fear on high." "They" are old men, or, like the French on , "people" indefinitely; and the clause says that they find difficulty in mounting an ascent, as the Vulgate renders, Excelsa quoque timebant . Shortness of breath, asthmatic tendencies, failure of muscular power, make such an exertion arduous and burdensome, just as in the previous verse a similar cause... read more