TRV
Study This Verse
Commentary on Ecclesiastes 12 verses 1–7
Here is, I. A call to young people to think of God, and mind their duty to him, when they are young: Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth. This is, 1. The royal preacher's application of his sermon concerning the vanity of the world and every thing in it. "You that are young flatter yourselves with expectations of great things from it, but believe those that have tried it; it yields no solid satisfaction to a soul; therefore, that you may not be deceived by this vanity, nor too much disturbed by it, remember your Creator, and so guard yourselves against the mischiefs that arise from the vanity of the creature." 2. It is the royal physician's antidote against the particular diseases of youth, the love of mirth, and the indulgence of sensual pleasures, the vanity which childhood and youth are subject to; to prevent and cure this, remember thy Creator. Here is, (1.) A great duty pressed upon us, to remember God as our creator, not only to remember that God is our Creator, that he made us and not we ourselves, and is therefore our rightful Lord and owner, but we must engage ourselves to him with the considerations which his being our Creator lay us under, and pay him the honour and duty which we owe him as our Creator. Remember thy Creators; the word is plural, as it is Job 35:10, Where is God my Makers? For God said, Let us make man, us, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. (2.) The proper season for this duty - in the days of thy youth, the days of thy choice (so some), thy choice days, thy choosing days. "Begin in the beginning of thy days to remember him from whom thou hadst thy being, and go on according to that good beginning. Call him to mind when thou art young, and keep him in mind throughout all the days of thy youth, and never forget him. Guard thus against the temptations of youth, and thus improve the advantages of it."
II. A reason to enforce this command: While the evil days come not, and the years of which thou shalt say I have no pleasure in them.
1.Do it quickly, (1.) "Before sickness and death come. Do it while thou livest, for it will be too late to do it when death has removed thee from this state of trial and probation to that of recompence and retribution." The days of sickness and death are the days of evil, terrible to nature, evil days indeed to those that have forgotten their Creator. These evil days will come sooner or later; as yet they come not, for God is long-suffering to us-ward, and gives us space to repent; the continuing of life is but the deferring of death, and, while life is continued and death deferred, it concerns us to prepare, and get the property of death altered, that we may die comfortably. (2.) Before old age comes, which, if death prevent not, will come, and they will be years of which we shall say, We have no pleasure in them, - when we shall not relish the delights of sense, as Barzillai (Sa2 19:35), - when we shall be loaded with bodily infirmities, old and blind, or old and lame, - when we shall be taken off from our usefulness, and our strength shall be labour and sorrow, - when we shall either have parted with our relations, and all our old friends, or be afflicted in them and see them weary of us, - when we shall feel ourselves die by inches. These years draw nigh, when all that comes will be vanity, the remaining months all months of vanity, and there will be no pleasure but in the reflection of a good life on earth and the expectation of a better life in heaven.
2.These two arguments he enlarges upon in the following verses, only inverting the order, and shows,
(1.)How many are the calamities of old age, and that if we should live to be old, our days will be such as we shall have no pleasure in, which is a good reason why we should return to God, and make our peace with him, in the days of our youth, and not put it off till we come to be old; for it will be no thanks to us to leave the pleasures of sin when they have left us, nor to return to God when need forces us. It is the greatest absurdity and ingratitude imaginable to give the cream and flower of our days to the devil, and reserve the bran, and refuse, and dregs of them for God; this is offering the torn, and the lame, and the sick for sacrifice; and, besides, old age being thus clogged with infirmities, it is the greatest folly imaginable to put off that needful work till then, which requires the best of our strength, when our faculties are in their prime, and especially to make the work more difficult by a longer continuance in sin, and, laying up treasures of guilt in the conscience, to add to the burdens of age and make them much heavier. If the calamities of age will be such as are here represented, we shall have need of something to support and comfort us then, and nothing will be more effectual to do that than the testimony of our consciences for us that we begin betimes to remember our Creator and have not since laid aside the remembrance of him. How can we expect God should help us when we are old, if we will not serve him when we are young? See Psa 71:17, Psa 71:18.
[1.]The decays and infirmities of old age are here elegantly described in figurative expressions, which have some difficulty in them to us now, who are not acquainted with the common phrases and metaphors used in Solomon's age and language; but the general scope is plain - to show how uncomfortable, generally, the days of old age are. First, Then the sun and the light of it, the moon and the stars, and the light which they borrow from it, will be darkened. They look dim to old people, in consequence of the decay of their sight; their countenance is clouded, and the beauty and lustre of it are eclipsed; their intellectual powers and faculties, which are as lights in the soul, are weakened; their understanding and memory fail them, and their apprehension is not so quick nor their fancy so lively as it has been; the days of their mirth are over (light is often put for joy and prosperity) and they have not the pleasure either of the converse of the day or the repose of the night, for both the sun and the moon are darkened to them. Secondly, Then the clouds return after the rain; as, when the weather is disposed to wet, no sooner has one cloud blown over than another succeeds it, so it is with old people, when they have got free from one pain or ailment, they are seized with another, so that their distempers are like a continual dropping in a very rainy day. The end of one trouble is, in this world, but the beginning of another, and deep calls unto deep. Old people are often afflicted with defluxions of rheum, like soaking rain, after which still more clouds return, feeding the humour, so that it is continually grievous, and therein the body, as it were, melts away. Thirdly, Then the keepers of the house tremble. The head, which is as the watch-tower, shakes, and the arms and hands, which are ready for the preservation of the body, shake too, and grow feeble, upon every sudden approach and attack of danger. That vigour of the animal spirits which used to be exerted for self-defence fails and cannot do its office; old people are easily dispirited and discouraged. Fourthly, Then the strong men shall bow themselves; the legs and thighs, which used to support the body, and bear its weight, bend, and cannot serve for travelling as they have done, but are soon tired. Old men that have been in their time strong men become weak and stoop for age, Zac 8:4. God takes no pleasure in the legs of a man (Psa 147:10), for their strength will soon fail; but in the Lord Jehovah there is everlasting strength; he has everlasting arms. Fifthly, Then the grinders cease because they are few; the teeth, with which we grind our meat and prepare it for concoction, cease to do their part, because they are few. They are rotted and broken, and perhaps have been drawn because they ached. Some old people have lost all their teeth, and others have but few left; and this infirmity is the more considerable because the meat, not being well chewed, for want of teeth, is not well digested, which has as much influence as any thing upon the other decays of age. Sixthly, Those that look out of the windows are darkened; the eyes wax dim, as Isaac's (Gen 27:1), and Ahijah's, Kg1 14:4. Moses was a rare instance of one who, when 120 years old, had good eye-sight, but ordinarily the sight decays in old people as soon as any thing, and it is a mercy to them that art helps nature with spectacles. We have need to improve our sight well while we have it, because the light of the eyes may be gone before the light of life. Seventhly, The doors are shut in the streets. Old people keep within doors, and care not for going abroad to entertainments. The lips, the doors of the mouth, are shut in eating, because the teeth are gone and the sound of the grinding with them is low, so that they have not that command of their meat in their mouths which they used to have; they cannot digest their meat, and therefore little grist is brought to the mill. Eightly, Old people rise up at the voice of the bird. They have no sound sleep as young people have, but a little thing disturbs them, even the chirping of a bird; they cannot rest for coughing, and therefore rise up at cock-crowing, as soon as any body is stirring; or they are apt to be jealous, and timorous, and full of care, which breaks their sleep and makes them rise early; or they are apt to be superstitious, and rise up as in a fright, at those voices of birds, as of ravens, or screech-owls, which soothsayers call ominous. Ninthly, With them all the daughters of music are brought low. They have neither voice nor ear, can neither sing themselves nor take any pleasure, as Solomon had done in the days of his youth, in singing men, and singing women, and musical instruments, Ecc 2:8. Old people grow hard of hearing, and unapt to distinguish sounds and voices. Tenthly, They are afraid of that which is high, afraid to go to the top of any high place, either because, for want of breath, they cannot reach it, or, their heads being giddy or their legs failing them, they dare not venture to it, or they frighten themselves with fancying that that which is high will fall upon them. Fear is in the way; they can neither ride nor walk with their former boldness, but are afraid of every thing that lies in their way, lest it throw them down. Eleventhly, The almond-tree flourishes. The old man's hair has grown white, so that his head looks like an almond-tree in the blossom. The almond-tree blossoms before any other tree, and therefore fitly shows what haste old age makes in seizing upon men; it prevents their expectations and comes faster upon them than they thought of. Gray hairs are here and there upon them, and they perceive it not. Twelfthly, The grasshopper is a burden and desire fails. Old men can bear nothing; the lightest thing sits heavily upon them, both on their bodies and on their minds, a little thing sinks and breaks them. Perhaps the grasshopper was some food that was looked upon to be very light of digestion (John Baptist's meat was locusts), but even that lies heavily upon an old man's stomach, and therefore desire fails, he has no appetite to his meat, neither shall he regard the desire of woman, as that king, Dan 11:37. Old men become mindless and listless, and the pleasures of sense are to them tasteless and sapless.
[2.]It is probable that Solomon wrote this when he was himself old, and could speak feelingly of the infirmities of age, which perhaps grew the faster upon him for the indulgence he had given himself in sensual pleasures. Some old people bear up better than others under the decays of age, but, more or less, the days of old age are and will be evil days and of little pleasure. Great care therefore should be taken to pay respect and honour to old people, that they may have something to balance these grievances and nothing may be done to add to them. And all this, put together, makes up a good reason why we should remember our Creator in the days of our youth, that he may remember us with favour when these evil days come, and his comforts may delight our souls when the delights of sense are in a manner worn off.
(2.)He shows how great a change death will make with us, which will be either the prevention or the period of the miseries of old age. Nothing else will keep them off, nor any thing else cure them. "Therefore remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, because death is certainly before thee, perhaps it is very near thee, and it is a serious thing to die, and thou shouldst feel concerned with the utmost care and diligence to prepare for it." [1.] Death will fix us in an unchangeable state: Man shall then go to his long home, and all these infirmities and decays of age are harbingers of and advances towards that awful remove. At death man goes from this world and all the employments and enjoyments of it. He has gone for good and all, as to his present state. He has gone home, for here he was a stranger and pilgrim; both soul and body go to the place whence they came, Ecc 12:7. He has gone to his rest, to the place where he is to fix. He has gone to his home, to the house of his world (so some), for this world is not his. He has gone to his long home, for the days of his lying in the grave will be many. He has gone to his house of eternity, not only to his house whence he shall never return to this world, but to the house where he must be for ever. This should make us willing to die, that, at death, we must go home; and why should we not long to go to our Father's house? And this should quicken us to get ready to die, that we must then go to our long home, to an everlasting habitation. [2.] Death will be an occasion of sorrow to our friends that love us. When man goes to his long home the mourners go about the streets - the real mourners, and those, as now with us, distinguished by their habits as they go along the streets, - the mourners for ceremony, that were hired to weep for the dead, both to express and to excite the real mourning. When we die we not only remove to a melancholy house before us, but we leave a melancholy house behind us. Tears are a tribute due to the dead, and this, among other circumstances, makes it a serious thing to die. But in vain do we go to the house of mourning, and see the mourners go about the streets, if it do not help to make us serious and pious mourners in the closet. [3.] Death will dissolve the frame of nature and take down the earthly house of this tabernacle, which is elegantly described, Ecc 12:6. Then shall the silver cord, by which soul and body were wonderfully fastened together, be loosed, that sacred knot untied, and those old friends be forced to part; then shall the golden bowl, which held the waters of life for us, be broken; then shall the pitcher with which we used to fetch up water, for the constant support of life and the repair of its decays, be broken, even at the fountain, so that it can fetch up no more; and the wheel (all those organs that serve for the collecting and distributing of nourishment) shall be broken, and disabled to do their office any more. The body shall become like a watch when the spring is broken, the motion of all the wheels is stopped and they all stand still; the machine is taken to pieces; the heart beats no more, nor does the blood circulate. Some apply this to the ornaments and utensils of life; rich people must, at death, leave behind them their clothing and furniture of silver and gold, and poor people their earthen pitchers, and the drawers of water will have their wheel broken. [4.] Death will resolve us into our first principles, Ecc 12:7. Man is a strange sort of creature, a ray of heaven united to a clod of earth; at death these are separated, and each goes to the place whence it came. First, The body, that clod of clay, returns to its own earth. It is made of the earth; Adam's body was so, and we are of the same mould; it is a house of clay. At death it is laid in the earth, and in a little time will be resolved into earth, not to be distinguished from common earth, according to the sentence (Gen 3:19), Dust thou art and therefore to dust thou shalt return. Let us not therefore indulge the appetites of the body, nor pamper it (it will be worms' meat shortly), nor let sin reign in our mortal bodies, for they are mortal, Rom 6:12. Secondly, The soul, that beam of light, returns to that God who, when he made man of the dust of the ground, breathed into him the breath of life, to make him a living soul (Gen 2:7), and forms the spirit of every man within him. When the fire consumes the wood the flame ascends, and the ashes return to the earth out of which the wood grew. The soul does not die with the body; it is redeemed from the power of the grave (Psa 49:15); it can subsist without it and will in a state of separation from it, as the candle burns, and burns brighter, when it is taken out of the dark lantern. It removes to the world of spirits, to which it is allied. It goes to God as a Judge, to give account of itself, and to be lodged either with the spirits in prison (Pe1 3:19) or with the spirits in paradise (Luk 23:43), according to what was done in the body. This makes death terrible to the wicked, whose souls go to God as an avenger, and comfortable to the godly, whose souls go to God as a Father, into whose hands they cheerfully commit them, through a Mediator, out of whom sinners may justly dread to think of going to God.
Cities and their bloodstained leaders will wait for punishment from above. A most bitter and bloody time will arise like a blossoming almond tree, continuous punishments will be imposed like a swarm of flying locusts, and lawbreakers will be thrown out of the way like a black and contemptible caper plant. The good person will enter into his eternal home with rejoicing, but the bad people will fill all their homes with mourning.
Those who have dealt with the world of plants say the following about the almond: Among all the plants it grows leaves in springtime and sheds them not before all the other trees have gotten bare; it is very durable.This is why it is said about the “priestly rod” that it was of almond wood. It did not last a short time; from Moses until the coming of the Savior it was a visible sign.…
This is what we think: Even if there are plants from other teachings, they bloom later, that is, after the true teaching, and cease before it; they vanish when it appears. This rod, therefore, has extinguished the other rods, those of the false apostles, and of the false prophets.…
The sentence “the almond blooms” can be understood in a moral sense. The almond has two layers around the edible kernel: something hard that has to be cracked and something bitter, that is, the outer shell. The outer shell can be seen as the body, since it is bitter, tending to the sensual. The hard part, however, is the soul, since it is strong and big. The edible in the kernel is the spirit. When the sentence of the apostle comes to fruition—“May the God of peace sanctify you, perfect your spirit, your soul, and your body”—then the almond blooms. In its blooming it envelops all the three.
The human being blooms, when it progresses in virtue, when it transforms its body so that it imitates the body of Christ.
"Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall
be in the way. "That is, they will not be able to enter on
difficult tasks and with tired knees and frightened footsteps, will not be able
to go out in the open, and will fear the offence of steps."
And the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a
burden, and desire shall fail: because man goes to his long home, and the
mourners go about the streets. "The
speech now explains the limbs of a man of the Church through a metaphor. And when old-age comes his hair will grow
white, his feet will swell, his lust will grow cold and he will be destroyed by
death. Then he will be returned to the
earth, and then in the house of his eternity you will remember his tomb and his
ashes with reverence, and a crowd will walk before the mourners at his
funeral. But the flower of the almond-tree,
which we have in place of grey hairs, some interpret as the sacred thorn,
because, while the flesh of the buttocks decreases, the thorn grows and
flowers. More precisely, in that verse
which says, "the grasshopper will be a burden", you must note that
where we have in our manuscripts 'grasshopper', the Hebrew has "aagab", which is rather ambiguous for
us. For it can be translated as 'heel'
or as 'grasshopper'. Just as for example
in the beginning of Jeremiah, the word "soced"
if the accent is changed can mean 'a nut' or 'wakefulness'. And this is said to him: "what do you
see, Jeremiah?" and he replies, "a nut". [Ier. 1, 11.] And the Lord says to him, "you have seen
well, for I will wake over my work so that I might complete it." [Ier. 1, 12.] Or that explanation: it also has the
etymology of the word 'nut', because God is about to keep awake. And what the people has deserved it will be
given, is what the text seems to say.
Thus now he shows the ambiguity of the word through its etymology,
showing that the legs of old men swell up and that gout weighs upon the organs. This does not happen to all men, but to most,
and this is "synecdoche" where a part
is called by the name of the whole.
Indeed where we read 'desire' the Hebrew has "abiona. "This in itself has
many meanings, and is interpreted as 'love', 'lust', 'longing', or
'desire'. And it has the meaning, as I
have said above, that the lust of an old man grows cold, and the organs of
intercourse sag. But this is said
because these words are ambiguous, for although they mean 'almond-tree', and
'grasshopper', and 'desire' in his language, they also mean other derived words
in our language, and are derived from the forms which pertain to old-age. You must note too, that where the Septuagint
has the word 'almond-tree' the word itself is "soced", which is found in the beginning of Jeremiah. But there it is meant 'nut' but here it means
'almond-tree'. Symmachus has
interpreted this passage in a greatly different way, (though I am unsure of what
he means): for he says, 'and they will see even above these things from on
high, and they will wander, and waking he will fall asleep, and the strength of
his spirit will be dispersed.' For man
will go to the house of his eternity, and the weeping will wander in the
street. Laodicenus [Apollinaris Laodic.]
followed the interpretation of Symmachus, which the Hebrews do not like, nor
the Christians; for while he is far from the Hebrews' view, he rejects too the
interpretations of the Septuagint.
Continue studying Ecclesiastes 12:5 across the web’s major study libraries — every link below opens this exact verse, chapter, or book on the destination site.
Read & Compare
BibleGatewayThis verse in more than 200 translations and 70 languages.
Bible.comThe YouVersion reader — hundreds of translations, reading plans, and highlights.
ESV.orgCrossway's official English Standard Version reader.
NET BibleThe NET translation with 60,000+ translators' notes on every rendering decision.
STEP BibleTyndale House's free study tool — original text, vocabulary, and scholarly resources.
BibliaLogos Bible Software's free web reader.
USCCBThe New American Bible (Revised Edition) with the U.S. bishops' study notes.
Commentaries
BibleHub CommentariesDozens of classic commentaries on this verse, gathered on one page.
StudyLightMore than 100 commentary sets — the largest collection on the web.
BibleRefPlain-English commentary on what this verse means, verse by verse.
Enduring WordDavid Guzik's free commentary on this chapter, widely used by Bible teachers.
Bible Study ToolsVerse commentary alongside Greek and Hebrew study aids.
Original Language & Research
- BibleHub InterlinearThe verse word by word — original language, transliteration, and English.
- BibleHub LexiconEvery word's original-language definition and Strong's entry.
Blue Letter BibleDeep-study tools — Strong's numbers, concordance, and word studies.
SefariaThe Hebrew text with Rashi and centuries of Jewish commentary.
Sermons, Hymns & Audio
TrulyRandomVerse is not affiliated with these sites and doesn’t control their content. They’re linked because they’re genuinely useful.
SUMMARY
Ecclesiastes 12:5 is a poignant and metaphor-rich verse within the Preacher's concluding poetic description of old age and the inevitability of death. It vividly portrays the physical and emotional decline that accompanies advanced years, using a series of striking images to illustrate diminishing strength, increasing anxieties, and the fading of life's vitality, all leading inexorably towards humanity's ultimate "long home" in the grave, marked by the presence of mourners.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Ecclesiastes 12:5 is rich in Imagery and Symbolism, employing vivid sensory details to paint a picture of aging. The "almond tree shall flourish" is a striking metaphor for white hair, while "the grasshopper shall be a burden" serves as a powerful hyperbole or metaphor for extreme physical weakness. The entire passage (Ecclesiastes 12:2-7) functions as an extended allegory for the aging process, where various physical and emotional declines are represented by distinct, often enigmatic, images. The phrase "long home" is a classic euphemism for the grave, softening the harsh reality of death while clearly conveying its finality. The cumulative effect of these images creates a sense of the inexorable march of time and the universal experience of decline, leading to death.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Ecclesiastes 12:5, in its stark portrayal of human frailty and mortality, serves as a profound theological statement on the brevity and impermanence of earthly life. It reminds us that our physical bodies are temporal and subject to decay, ultimately returning to dust. This reality is not presented as a cause for despair, but rather as a foundational truth that should reorient our priorities. The Preacher's message, culminating in this chapter, is that since all earthly pursuits and physical strengths are fleeting, true wisdom lies in recognizing God's sovereignty over life and death, and in fearing Him and keeping His commandments. The verse implicitly challenges us to consider our eternal destiny and to live with an awareness that our "long home" is not the end of the story, but a transition that points to a greater reality beyond this life.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Ecclesiastes 12:5 offers a sobering yet deeply meaningful reflection on the human condition. It functions as a powerful memento mori, a reminder of our mortality, urging us to confront the reality of aging and death not with fear, but with wisdom. This understanding should prompt a re-evaluation of our priorities, shifting our focus from the transient to the eternal. Recognizing that our physical strength and earthly desires will inevitably wane should motivate us to invest our time, energy, and resources into what truly lasts: our relationship with God and our service to others. The call to "remember your Creator" in Ecclesiastes 12:1 gains profound urgency when viewed through the lens of this verse's vivid depiction of decline. Furthermore, the detailed portrayal of the challenges faced by the elderly should cultivate deep empathy and compassion within us, inspiring us to honor, care for, and support those in their later years, recognizing their inherent dignity and worth.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the "long home" mentioned in this verse?
Answer: The "long home" is a poetic and tender euphemism for the grave or the abode of the dead. It emphasizes the final and permanent nature of earthly death for all humanity, signifying the ultimate resting place of the body. While the body goes to its "long home," the spirit returns to God who gave it, as stated in Ecclesiastes 12:7.
How does "the almond tree shall flourish" relate to old age?
Answer: The almond tree is one of the earliest trees to blossom in spring, producing abundant white flowers. This vivid imagery is a beautiful and widely understood metaphor for the white hair that accompanies advanced old age, symbolizing one of the most visible and universal signs of physical decline and the passage of time.
What does "the grasshopper shall be a burden" mean?
Answer: This phrase is a powerful metaphor for extreme physical weakness and frailty in old age. It suggests that even something as light and seemingly insignificant as a grasshopper becomes a heavy burden to a body shrunken and weakened by age. It can also imply a severe loss of appetite or digestive capacity, where even light food becomes difficult to process, or that the aged body itself becomes so frail it is likened to a grasshopper, easily burdened.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Ecclesiastes 12:5 starkly portrays humanity's inevitable decline and descent to the "long home" of the grave, the New Testament reveals how Jesus Christ utterly transforms this grim reality. He Himself entered the "long home" through His death on the cross and burial, yet He did not remain there. His glorious resurrection from the dead, as proclaimed in 1 Corinthians 15:20, decisively conquered death and the grave, becoming the "firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." For those who believe in Him, the "long home" is no longer a permanent, fearful destination, but a temporary resting place before the ultimate resurrection to eternal life. Jesus declared, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live" (John 11:25-26). He is the true "desire" who never fails; unlike the fading earthly appetites, He offers living water and the bread of life, satisfying the soul's deepest longings eternally (John 6:35). Through His victory, He has delivered those who were "held in slavery by fear of death" (Hebrews 2:14-15). Thus, for the believer, the ultimate "long home" is not the earthly grave, but an eternal dwelling with the Lord in the new heavens and new earth, where there will be no more death, mourning, crying, or pain (Revelation 21:4).