5 Also when they shall be afraid H3372 of that which is high, H1364 and fears H2849 shall be in the way, H1870 and the almond tree H8247 shall flourish, H5006 and the grasshopper H2284 shall be a burden, H5445 and desire H35 shall fail: H6565 because man H120 goeth H1980 to his long H5769 home, H1004 and the mourners H5594 go about H5437 the streets: H7784
Thus saith H559 the LORD H3068 of hosts, H6635 Consider H995 ye, and call H7121 for the mourning women, H6969 that they may come; H935 and send H7971 for cunning H2450 women, that they may come: H935 And let them make haste, H4116 and take up H5375 a wailing H5092 for us, that our eyes H5869 may run down H3381 with tears, H1832 and our eyelids H6079 gush out H5140 with waters. H4325 For a voice H6963 of wailing H5092 is heard H8085 out of Zion, H6726 How are we spoiled! H7703 we are greatly H3966 confounded, H954 because we have forsaken H5800 the land, H776 because our dwellings H4908 have cast us out. H7993 Yet hear H8085 the word H1697 of the LORD, H3068 O ye women, H802 and let your ear H241 receive H3947 the word H1697 of his mouth, H6310 and teach H3925 your daughters H1323 wailing, H5092 and every one H802 her neighbour H7468 lamentation. H7015
And G2532 he cometh G2064 to G1519 the house G3624 of the ruler of the synagogue, G752 and G2532 seeth G2334 the tumult, G2351 and them that wept G2799 and G2532 wailed G214 greatly. G4183 And G2532 when he was come in, G1525 he saith G3004 unto them, G846 Why G5101 make ye this ado, G2350 and G2532 weep? G2799 the damsel G3813 is G599 not G3756 dead, G599 but G235 sleepeth. G2518
For he seeth H7200 that wise men H2450 die, H4191 likewise H3162 the fool H3684 and the brutish person H1198 perish, H6 and leave H5800 their wealth H2428 to others. H312 Their inward H7130 thought is, that their houses H1004 shall continue for ever, H5769 and their dwelling H4908 places to all H1755 generations; H1755 they call H7121 their lands H127 after their own names. H8034 Nevertheless man H120 being in honour H3366 abideth H3885 not: he is like H4911 the beasts H929 that perish. H1820 This their way H1870 is their folly: H3689 yet their posterity H310 approve H7521 their sayings. H6310 Selah. H5542 Like sheep H6629 they are laid H8371 in the grave; H7585 death H4194 shall feed H7462 on them; and the upright H3477 shall have dominion H7287 over them in the morning; H1242 and their beauty H6697 H6736 shall consume H1086 in the grave H7585 from their dwelling. H2073
And forty H705 days H3117 were fulfilled H4390 for him; for so are fulfilled H4390 the days H3117 of those which are embalmed: H2590 and the Egyptians H4714 mourned H1058 for him threescore and ten H7657 days. H3117 And when the days H3117 of his mourning H1068 were past, H5674 Joseph H3130 spake H1696 unto the house H1004 of Pharaoh, H6547 saying, H559 If now I have found H4672 grace H2580 in your eyes, H5869 speak, H1696 I pray you, in the ears H241 of Pharaoh, H6547 saying, H559 My father H1 made me swear, H7650 saying, H559 Lo, H2009 I die: H4191 in my grave H6913 which I have digged H3738 for me in the land H776 of Canaan, H3667 there shalt thou bury me. H6912 Now therefore let me go up, H5927 I pray thee, and bury H6912 my father, H1 and I will come again. H7725 And Pharaoh H6547 said, H559 Go up, H5927 and bury H6912 thy father, H1 according as he made thee swear. H7650 And Joseph H3130 went up H5927 to bury H6912 his father: H1 and with him went up H5927 all the servants H5650 of Pharaoh, H6547 the elders H2205 of his house, H1004 and all the elders H2205 of the land H776 of Egypt, H4714 And all the house H1004 of Joseph, H3130 and his brethren, H251 and his father's H1 house: H1004 only their little ones, H2945 and their flocks, H6629 and their herds, H1241 they left H5800 in the land H776 of Goshen. H1657 And there went up H5927 with him both chariots H7393 and horsemen: H6571 and it was a very H3966 great H3515 company. H4264 And they came H935 to the threshingfloor H1637 of Atad, H329 which is beyond H5676 Jordan, H3383 and there they mourned H5594 with a great H1419 and very H3966 sore H3515 lamentation: H4553 and he made H6213 a mourning H60 for his father H1 seven H7651 days. H3117
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Ecclesiastes 12
Commentary on Ecclesiastes 12 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 12
The wise and penitent preacher is here closing his sermon; and he closes it, not only like a good orator, but like a good preacher, with that which was likely to make the best impressions and which he wished might be powerful and lasting upon his hearers. Here is,
Ecc 12:1-7
Here is,
Ecc 12:8-12
Solomon is here drawing towards a close, and is loth to part till he has gained his point, and prevailed with his hearers, with his readers, to seek for that satisfaction in God only and in their duty to him which they can never find in the creature.
Ecc 12:13-14
The great enquiry which Solomon prosecutes in this book is, What is that good which the sons of men should do? ch. 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,