Ecclesiastes 12

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 12:4

4. The doors The mouth. See Job 41:14. In or on the streets, as being the front door, with valves like the lips of a man. Shut By loss of teeth. No dental art was known to Koheleth. Sound of the grinding is low Not merely the mastication, but the whole digestive and vital processes are feeble and slow, so that the man’s whole bodily system is like an almost silent mill. Rise up at the voice of the bird Better rendered by critics, it, (not he,) referring to “sound,” amounts... read more

Daniel Whedon

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 12:5

5. They The man himself; expressed in the plural because his various parts and powers have been personified as so many individuals. Afraid of the high In youth the man could look down from the high tower and not be dizzy; he could mount the cliff and not be exhausted. His brain and legs are now too weak; and he dreads all heights. Nay, fears of exposures to accidents, foes, or atmospheric miasms, are in the plain and level way. The almond tree shall flourish This “almond tree” has... read more

Daniel Whedon

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 12:6

6. So far decay of age is depicted; now dissolution itself. We can hardly agree with the commentators who deny that the bowl, the pitcher, and the wheel, must not each be applied to a definite object or part of dying man. The analogy of Ecclesiastes 12:2-5 requires that these must not be construed as mere successive general images of crash and ruin, but must be individualized. Yet they cannot be individualized according to modern anatomy: but in accordance with old Hebrew ideas we may... read more

Daniel Whedon

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 12:7

7. Dust… earth Just as, Genesis 2:7, man was taken as dust from the ground, so now he returns to “dust.” And the spirit, then inbreathed from God, and thence forming a living person, returns unto God who gave it. It is not, in this return “unto God,” resolved back into an impersonal breath, which is a pantheistic idea unknown to the Hebrew mind. It returns, as Ecclesiastes 12:14 indicates, a personal being “unto God,” awaiting his judgment. read more

Daniel Whedon

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 12:8

8. Vanity of vanities This solemn finale employs the key-note with which this inquiry began. It is as if the proposition then announced had now been demonstrated. The writer, committing it now to the judgment of reasonable men, feels sure of their concurrence for ever. read more

Daniel Whedon

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 12:9

9. Because the Preacher was wise Koheleth now defines himself in what may be reckoned his true character. He is a “hakam,” (Arabic, hakim,) or “physician,” like the Greek επαιων a professional man, a public teacher, one devoted to the solution of moral and practical problems. He also discoursed to the people on instructive subjects, and with care and research framed proverbs to guide the public thought. In his various functions of teacher, sage, and author he must have led a laborious and... read more

Daniel Whedon

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 12:10

10. Acceptable words Hebrew, Words of consolation. Feeling deeply for the sorrows of his kind, he found that the words that gave them relief were the frank utterances of sincerity and truth. Such are the words of this essay, which states with fearless accuracy, like that of Shakspeare, the aspects of life as actually seen from many and various positions. read more

Daniel Whedon

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 12:11

11. The words of the wise are as goads The writer gives the reason of his undertaking, suggesting, too, his ideal of what such work should be, as if his toil would be repaid should these words prove such. And as nails Better, And as stakes firmly set, are those (words) of the masters of assemblies. The stakes are those to which the tent ropes are fastened, firmly holding the tent in its place. Which are given Referring to “the words of the wise.” The savings of true wisdom,... read more

Daniel Whedon

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 12:12

12. And further Hebrew, But beyond this, my son, take warning. All the books that can be made, and the most exhausting study, can make no one wiser. About fifteen thousand books are annually made in Christendom, and knowledge is rapidly increased, but duty is still taught only by the one Shepherd and Teacher, and true wisdom is from him alone. read more

Daniel Whedon

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 12:13

13. The conclusion of the whole matter After this long survey of human affairs, chiefly on their sad and shady side, this counsel has peculiar weight. It is the word of one who has tried it himself and examined it in other men. Peace with God, coming from reverent, steady obedience, “Makes the rough paths of peevish nature even,” and he, too, makes this the duty of every man. The whole duty It is better syntax to read, For this is (the duty) of every man. So the Hebrew indicates. No... read more

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 12:4

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 12:5

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 12:6

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 12:7

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 12:8

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 12:9

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 12:10

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 12:11

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 12:12

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 12:13

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