Ecclesiastes 12:1-14 - Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible - Bible Study & Commentary

Verses 1-14

Ecclesiastes 12:9-2 Chronicles : . Epilogue.

Ecclesiastes 12:9-2 Kings : is an editor’ s praise of Qoheleth, who is identified with Solomon, the sage compiler of proverbial wisdom, who wrote “ words of truth” in a pleasing and elegant (“ acceptable” ) style; “ uprightly” may also refer to correctness of form.

Ecclesiastes 12:11 a reminds us of the stimulus of a good teacher; Socrates called himself the gadfly of Athens, and the words of Pericles were said to have a sting in them.

Ecclesiastes 12:11 b may be rendered “ Like nails driven home are collections of sayings made by one master” ; the only difficulty is that “ Shepherd” in OT usually refers to God. As to what lies beyond these ( cf. mg.) there is need of warning; one can easily miss the true way in one’ s reading, perhaps a reference to heathen libraries, and a good deal of Jewish literature which the writer regarded as unedifying.— study: cf. Ecclesiastes 1:18; the word seems to mean close application.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 f. The last words of the pious annotator of Ecclesiastes 3:17, Ecclesiastes 11:9 b, etc. What man should really devote and apply himself to is the fear of God and the keeping of His commandments. “ Whole” belongs to “ man,” and should be translated “ every” ; for the literal expression, “ this is every man,” cf. Psalms 109:4, “ I am prayer” ; Psalms 11:03, “ Thy people are free-will offerings.”

Ecclesiastes 12:14 . Render, “ For God shall bring every work into the judgment concerning every secret thing,” etc.

( See also Supplement)

Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

Be the first to react on this!

Arthur Peake

Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

Arthur Samuel Peake (1865-1929) was an English biblical scholar, born at Leek, Staffordshire, and educated at St John's College, Oxford. He was the first holder of the Rylands Chair of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis in the University of Manchester, from its establishment as an independent institution in 1904. He was thus the first non-Anglican to become a professor of divinity in an English university.In 1890-92 he was a lecturer at Mansfield College, Oxford, and from 1890 to 1897 held a fellowship at Merton College.In 1892, however, he was invited to become tutor at the Primitive Methodist Theological Institute in Manchester, which was renamed Hartley College in 1906. He was largely responsible for broadening the curriculum which intending Primitive Methodist ministers were required to follow, and for raising the standards of the training.In 1895-1912 he served as lecturer in the Lancashire Independent College, from 1904 to 1912 also in the United Methodist College at Manchester. In 1904 he was appointed Professor of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis in the (Victoria) University of Manchester. (This chair was in the Faculty of Theology established in that year; it was renamed "Rylands Professor, etc." in 1909.)Peake was also active as a layman in wider Methodist circles, and did a great deal to further the reunion of Methodism which took effect in 1932, three years after his death. In the wider ecumenical sphere Peake worked for the National Council of Evangelical Free Churches, serving as president in 1928, and was a member of the World Conference on Faith and Order held in Lausanne in 1927. He published and lectured extensively, but is best remembered for his one-volume commentary on the Bible (1919), which, in its revised form, is still in use.The University of Aberdeen made him an honorary D. D. in 1907. He was a governor of the John Rylands Library.... Show more

First published in 1919, Peake's commentary of the bible was a one-volume commentary that gave special attention to Biblical archaeology and the then-recent discoveries of biblical manuscripts. Biblical quotations in this edition were from the Revised Version of the Bible.... Show more

Scroll to Top

Group of Brands