Ecclesiastes 12

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 12:11

The words of the wise - Doctrines of faith, illustrated by suitable language, are as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, אספות בעלי baaley asuphoth , the masters of collections, those who had made the best collections of this kind, the matter of which was of the most excellent nature; every saying sinking as deeply into the mind, by the force of the truth contained in it, as a nail well pointed does into a board, when impelled by the hammer's force. These masters of collections... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 12:12

And farther, by these, my son, be admonished - Hear such teachers, and receive their admonitions; and do not receive the grace of God in vain. Of making many books there is no end - Two thousand years have elapsed since this was written; and since that time some millions of treatises have been added, on all kinds of subjects, to those which have gone before. The press is still groaning under and teeming with books, books innumerable; and no one subject is yet exhausted, notwithstanding... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 12:13

After all, the sum of the great business of human life is comprised in this short sentence, on which some millions of books have been already written! Fear God, and Keep His Commandments Know that He Is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Reverence him; pay him adoration. Love him, that you may be happy. Keep his commandments - They are contained in two words: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart;" "And thy neighbor as thyself." ... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Ecclesiastes 12:14

For God shall bring every work into judgment - This is the reason why we should "fear God and keep his commandments." Because there will be a day of judgment. Every soul of man shall stand at that bar. God, the infinitely wise, the heart-searching God, will be judge. He will bring to light every secret thing - all that has been done since the creation, by all men; whether forgotten or registered; whether done in secret or in public. All the works of the godly, as well as all the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 12

Remember thy Creator. I. REMEMBER : WHOM ? "Thy Creator." The language implies: 1. That man has a Creator . It would certainly be strange if he had not, seeing that all things else have. And that Creator is not himself, since he is at best a dependent creature ( Genesis 3:19 ); or an inferior divinity, since there is none such ( 2 Samuel 7:22 ; Isaiah 44:6 ); but 2. That man originally knows God . That even in his fallen condition he is not entirely destitute of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 12

Youthful religion. The Preacher spoke from a heart taught by long experience. Himself advanced in years, having enjoyed and suffered much, having long observed the growth of human character under diverse principles and influences, he was able to offer to the young counsel based upon extensive knowledge and deliberate reflection. I. THE DESCRIPTION HERE GIVEN OF THE RELIGIOUS LIFE . Amplifying this terse and impressive language, we may hear the wise man addressing the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 12

The epilogue. The sentence, "Vanity of vanities; all is vanity!" with which the Book of Ecclesiastes opened, is found here at its close. And doubtless to many .it will seem disappointing that it should follow so hard upon the expression of belief in immortality. Surely we might say that the nobler view of life reached by the Preacher should have precluded his return to the pessimistic opinions and feelings which we can scarcely avoid associating with the words, "Vanity of vanities; all is... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 12:1

The division into chapters is unfortunate here, as this verse is closely connected with Ecclesiastes 12:10 of the preceding chapter. Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth. Set God always before thine eyes from thy earliest days; think who made thee, and what thou wast made for, not for self-pleasing only, not to gratify thy passions which now are strong; but that thou mightest use thy powers and energy in accordance with the laws of thy being as a creature of God's hands,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 12:2

From this verse onwards there is great diversity of interpretation. While some think that the approach of death is represented under the image of a storm, others deem that what is here intended is first the debility of old age, and then, at Ecclesiastes 12:6 , death itself, which two stages are described under various metaphors and figures. While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened. Under these figures the evil days spoken of above, the advent and infirmities... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Ecclesiastes 12:3

The gradual decay which creeps over the body, the habitation of the spirit, is depicted under the figure of a house and its parts (comp. Job 4:19 ; 2 Corinthians 5:1 ; 2 Peter 1:13 , 2 Peter 1:14 ). In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble ; i.e. this is the case when, etc. The hands and arms are appropriately called the keepers of the house, for with them (as Volek quotes from Galen) man ὁπλίζει καὶ φρουρεῖ τὸ σῶμα παντοίως ("arms and guards his body in... read more

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