TRV
Translation
King James Version
¶ Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
KJV (with Strong's)
Let us hear H8085 the conclusion H5490 of the whole matter H1697: Fear H3372 God H430, and keep H8104 his commandments H4687: for this is the whole duty of man H120.
Complete Jewish Bible
Here is the final conclusion, now that you have heard everything: fear God, and keep his mitzvot; this is what being human is all about.
Berean Standard Bible
When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.
American Standard Version
This isthe end of the matter; all hath been heard: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.
World English Bible Messianic
This is the end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Let vs heare the end of all: feare God and keepe his commandements: for this is the whole duetie of man.
Young's Literal Translation
The end of the whole matter let us hear: --`Fear God, and keep His commands, for this is the whole of man.
In the KJVVerse 17,537 of 31,102
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Commentary on Ecclesiastes 12 verses 13–14
13 ¶ Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
The great enquiry which Solomon prosecutes in this book is, What is that good which the sons of men should do? Ecc 2:3. What is the true way to true happiness, the certain means to attain our great end? He had in vain sought it among those things which most men are eager in pursuit of, but here, at length, he has found it, by the help of that discovery which God anciently made to man (Job 28:28), that serious godliness is the only way to true happiness: Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter, the return entered upon the writ of enquiry, the result of this diligent search; you shall have all I have been driving at in two words. He does not say, Do you hear it, but Let us hear it; for preachers must themselves be hearers of that word which they preach to others, must hear it as from God; those are teachers by the halves who teach others and not themselves, Rom 2:21. Every word of God is pure and precious, but some words are worthy of more special remark, as this; the Masorites begin it with a capital letter, as that Deu 6:4. Solomon himself puts a nota bene before it, demanding attention in these words, Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Observe here,
I. The summary of religion. Setting aside all matters of doubtful disputation, to be religious is to fear God and keep his commandments. 1. The root of religion is fear of God reigning in the heart, and a reverence of his majesty, a deference to his authority, and a dread of his wrath. Fear God, that is, worship God, give him the honour due to his name, in all the instances of true devotion, inward and outward. See Rev 14:7. 2. The rule of religion is the law of God revealed in the scriptures. Our fear towards God must be taught by his commandments (Isa 29:13), and those we must keep and carefully observe. Wherever the fear of God is uppermost in the heart, there will be a respect to all his commandments and care to keep them. In vain do we pretend to fear God if we do not make conscience of our duty to him.
II. The vast importance of it: This is the whole of man; it is all his business and all his blessedness; our whole duty is summed up in this and our whole comfort is bound up in this. It is the concern of every man, and ought to be his chief and continual care; it is the common concern of all men, of their whole time. It is nothing to a man whether he be rich or poor, high or low, but it is the main matter, it is all in all to a man, to fear God and do as he bids him.
III. A powerful inducement to this, Ecc 12:14. We shall see of what vast consequence it is to us that we be religious if we consider the account we must every one of us shortly give of himself to God; thence he argued against a voluptuous and vicious life (Ecc 11:9), and here for a religious life: God shall bring every work into judgment. Note, 1. There is a judgment to come, in which every man's eternal state will be finally determined. 2. God himself will be the Judge, God-man will, not only because he has a right to judge, but because he is perfectly fit for it, infinitely wise and just. 3. Every work will then be brought into judgment, will be enquired into and called over again. It will be a day to bring to remembrance every thing done in the body. 4. The great thing to be then judged of concerning every work is whether it be good or evil, conformable to the will of God or a violation of it. 5. Even secret things, both good and evil, will be brought to light, and brought to account, in the judgment of the great day (Rom 2:16); there is no good work, no bad work, hid, but shall then be made manifest. 6. In consideration of the judgment to come, and the strictness of that judgment, it highly concerns us now to be very strict in our walking with God, that we may give up our account with joy.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 13–14. Public domain.
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Shepherd of HermasAD 160
Shepherd of Hermas, Commandment 7
"Fear," said he, "the Lord, and keep His commandments. For if you keep the commandments of God, you will be powerful in every action, and every one of your actions will be incomparable. For, fearing the Lord, you will do all things well. This is the fear which you ought to have, that you may be saved."
John ChrysostomAD 407
AGAINST THE ANOMOEANS, HOMILY 1:9
If fear of God comes from knowledge but knowledge is going to pass away, as Paul says, then we shall be completely destroyed when there is no knowledge. All that we are will be gone, and we shall be in a state no better but much worse than irrational beings. For in knowledge we have the advantage over them, whereas in all other things pertaining to the body they surpass us by far.
JeromeAD 420
COMMENTARY ON ECCLESIASTES 12:13-14
Let us indeed “fear God and obey his commandments,” for each person was born for this purpose, that knowing his Creator, he might venerate him with fear, honor and observance of the commandments. When the time of judgment arrives, whatever we have done will stand under judgment and await the double sentence that each person will receive for his work, whether he has done evil or good. We will be held accountable on the day of judgment for what we were able to do, “for every hidden deed, whether good or evil,” as Symmachus and the Septuagint translated it, that is, for every contempt, or at least every negligence, but also for every idle word offered even unknowingly, not willfully. But because fear belongs to slaves and perfect love drives fear away, fear has a double meaning in divine Scripture, for beginners and for the perfect. The fear of him who has been perfected in virtue, I believe, is expressed here: “They who fear the Lord lack nothing.” Or at least because he is still a man and has not taken God’s name, he knows his own nature, that he might fear God while placed in the body. For God will bring each creature, that is, each person, to judgment for every decision he or she made contrary to that which God has arranged and said. “Woe” indeed “to those who call evil good and good evil.”
JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Ecclesiastes
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole
matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of
man. For God shall bring every work into
judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be
evil. "The Hebrews say that although it used to be among other
writings of Solomon in the past, they have not persisted in memory; and this
book seems as if it ought to have been omitted, because it asserts that all
God's creations are vain and that he thinks everything is done for nothing, and
he prefers food and drink and transient pleasures to all things; thus he takes
his authority from this one title, so it is now included in the number of
divine books, because he argues well and lists many things like "anakephaiosei, "and he said that his
speeches are the easiest to hear, and to understand; let us therefore fear God
and carry out his commandments. For man
is born for this purpose and, understanding his Creator, he reveres Him in fear
and respect, and in the work of his commandments. And when the time of judgement comes whatever
we have done will stand before the judge and for a long time we will await our
judgement which could go one way or the other, and we will receive our just
rewards, whether they be good or bad.
But where we read, "with every secret thing", Symmachus and the
Septuagint have interpreted, "from all contempt", or even "from
all unknown", which even brought by reluctant words, not by will, but by
ignorance, we will be returned to reason in the day of our judgement. Differently: since fear is more appropriate
to slaves, and perfect love involves no fear, and fear in the divine Scripture
is used to denote those embarking on and those completing education [Cfr. I. Ioh. 4, 18.]. Now I think he talks about the fear inherent
in virtues, according to the passage, which says, "nothing is lacking from
those who fear Him" [Ps. 33, 10.]. Or even, since until now he is a man and has
not yet taken the name of God, he has this reason of his wealth, so that he
fears God while he is still alive. Since
every single deed is judged, that is, God leads all men into judgement about
all things, either good or bad, which are done and said differently than by
Him. For indeed, "woe to those who
say wicked is good, and good is wicked" [Is. 5, 20.].
Augustine of HippoAD 430
City of God 20.3
What could be briefer, truer, better for the soul to know? For this is all a person is—a keeper of God’s commandments. Not being such, he is, so to say, nothing at all, because instead of being constantly reshaped to the image of the truth, he remains bogged down in the likeness of shadow.
Gregory the DialogistAD 604
DIALOGUE 4:4
Solomon’s book in which these words appear is called Ecclesiastes. Translated, this name means “Preacher.” Now, in preaching one expresses sentiments that tend to quiet a noisy crowd. And when there are many people holding opinions of various kinds, they are brought into harmony by the reasoning of the speaker. This book, then, is called “the Preacher” because in it Solomon makes the feelings of the disorganized people his own in order to search into and give expression to the thoughts that come to their untutored minds perhaps by the way of temptation. For the sentiments he expresses in his search are as varied as the individuals he impersonates. But, like a true preacher, he stretches out his arms at the end of his address and calms the troubled sprits of the assembled people, calling them back to one way of thinking. This we see him do at the close of the book, where he says, “Let us all hear together the conclusion of the discourse. Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”
BedeAD 735
Commentary on the Catholic Epistles, 1 Peter 2:8
They have been appointed to this, that is, to this made human beings by nature, that they may believe God and obey his will, as Solomon attests when he says, “Fear God and obey his commandments, for this is [the duty of] every human being.” That is, every human being has been naturally made for this purpose, that he may fear God and obey his commandments.
BedeAD 735
Commentary on Acts 10:12
Of those who are proud and at the same time treacherous it is said, “The foxes have dens and the birds of the air have nests.” And of all people in general it is said, “And man, when he was held in esteem” (that is, made in the image of God), “did not understand; he was like foolish cattle.” Solomon, however, shows humanity as it truly is, that is, uncorrupted, when he says, “Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is all there is to man.”
Richard ChallonerAD 1781
All man: The whole business and duty of man.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
Ecclesiastes 12:13 serves as the profound capstone to the Preacher's exhaustive philosophical inquiry into the meaning of life "under the sun." After exploring and ultimately dismissing worldly pursuits as fleeting and vain, Qoheleth arrives at a definitive and timeless conclusion: the ultimate purpose and fulfillment for humanity lie in revering God and diligently obeying His divine commands. This verse distills the entire book's wisdom into a concise, actionable directive, presenting the singular, comprehensive duty of every human being.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Ecclesiastes 12:13 masterfully employs several literary devices to deliver its powerful message. It functions primarily as an Aphorism or Proverb, a concise, memorable statement of a universal truth, designed for easy recall and profound impact. As the final statement of the Preacher's discourse, it serves as the Climax and Summation of the entire book, providing the long-awaited answer to the central existential questions posed. The verse also exhibits a clear Didactic Tone, directly instructing the reader on the proper way to live. Implicitly, it uses Contrast by juxtaposing the "vanity" (hebel) of all earthly endeavors, which dominate the book, with the enduring and meaningful pursuit of fearing God and keeping His commandments. This contrast highlights the singular, non-futile path to true human purpose.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ecclesiastes 12:13 encapsulates a fundamental theological truth that resonates throughout the entire biblical narrative: humanity's ultimate purpose and well-being are inextricably linked to its relationship with God, characterized by reverence and obedience. This verse asserts that true wisdom begins with acknowledging God's supreme authority and living in accordance with His revealed will, providing a stable foundation and clear moral compass in a world often perceived as chaotic or meaningless. It teaches that genuine fulfillment is not found in transient earthly achievements or pleasures, but in aligning one's life with the eternal purposes of the Creator. This principle underscores the covenantal relationship between God and humanity, where adherence to divine commands is not burdensome but the very path to life and flourishing.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
In a contemporary world that often seeks meaning in self-actualization, material accumulation, or fleeting experiences, Ecclesiastes 12:13 offers a radical counter-cultural truth. It calls us to shift our focus from the transient "under the sun" pursuits to the eternal, unchanging reality of God. Living a life characterized by genuine reverence for God—a profound awe that acknowledges His sovereignty and holiness—and active obedience to His commands provides a robust framework for navigating life's complexities. This is not about rigid legalism but about a relational response to our Creator, recognizing that His ways are always for our ultimate good and true flourishing. Embracing this "whole duty of man" liberates us from the endless, unsatisfying chase for temporary happiness and grounds us in a purpose that transcends death, offering deep satisfaction and eternal significance.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does "fear God" mean in this context?
Answer: In biblical language, "fear God" (Hebrew: yârêʼ) does not primarily mean to be terrified of Him, but rather to hold Him in profound reverence, awe, and respect. It signifies acknowledging His supreme authority, holiness, power, and wisdom as the Creator and Judge of the universe. This respectful fear leads to a humble submission to His will and a desire to live in a way that honors Him, rather than pursuing selfish or fleeting desires. It is the beginning of true wisdom, as stated in Proverbs 9:10.
Is "duty" really in the original Hebrew?
Answer: The King James Version's addition of "[duty]" in Ecclesiastes 12:13 is an interpretive gloss, though a highly insightful one. The Hebrew phrase is kol ha'adam, which literally translates to "the whole man" or "all of man." While "duty" is not explicitly present, the KJV translators understood that fearing God and keeping His commandments encompasses the entirety of human existence and purpose. It is the complete and comprehensive essence of what it means to be human, and thus, our ultimate "duty" or calling. This interpretation accurately conveys the comprehensive nature of the command, suggesting it is the very reason for our being and the path to genuine fulfillment.
How does this verse relate to the rest of Ecclesiastes?
Answer: Ecclesiastes 12:13 serves as the grand conclusion and the ultimate answer to the central question explored throughout the entire book: "What is the meaning of life 'under the sun'?" (Ecclesiastes 1:3). After meticulously examining and repeatedly declaring the "vanity" (hebel, meaning fleeting or meaningless) of all earthly pursuits—wisdom, pleasure, wealth, labor, and even justice—the Preacher arrives at this definitive and concise summation. It provides the singular, enduring purpose that transcends the transient nature of life's experiences, offering a solid foundation in contrast to the pervasive sense of futility that characterizes much of the preceding chapters. It's the "aha!" moment that resolves the book's profound existential inquiry.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Ecclesiastes 12:13, though rooted in the Old Testament wisdom tradition, finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in Jesus Christ. The "whole duty of man"—to fear God and keep His commandments—is perfectly embodied and made possible through Him. Jesus Himself lived a life of absolute reverence for the Father, consistently doing His will and perfectly fulfilling the Law (Matthew 5:17). He taught that the greatest commandments are to love God with all one's heart, soul, and mind, and to love one's neighbor as oneself (Matthew 22:37-39). In Christ, the "fear of God" transforms from a distant awe into a loving, filial reverence made possible by adoption into God's family through the Spirit (Romans 8:15). Moreover, the New Covenant prophesied in Jeremiah 31:33 and explained in Hebrews 8:10 declares that God's laws are now written on our hearts, empowering believers to obey not out of burdensome obligation but out of a new nature and love for Christ (John 14:15). Thus, the "whole duty of man" is fully realized in Christ, who is our wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:30), and through whom we are enabled by the Holy Spirit to live lives that truly fear God and keep His commands, finding our ultimate purpose and satisfaction in Him.