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Texts -- Ecclesiastes 12:8-14 (NET)

Context
Concluding Refrain: Qoheleth Restates His Thesis
12:8 “Absolutely futile !” laments the Teacher , “All of these things are futile !”
Concluding Epilogue: Qoheleth’s Advice is Wise
12:9 Not only was the Teacher wise , but he also taught knowledge to the people ; he carefully evaluated and arranged many proverbs . 12:10 The Teacher sought to find delightful words , and to write accurately truthful sayings . 12:11 The words of the sages are like prods , and the collected sayings are like firmly fixed nails ; they are given by one shepherd .
Concluding Exhortation: Fear God and Obey His Commands!
12:12 Be warned , my son , of anything in addition to them . There is no end to the making of many books , and much study is exhausting to the body . 12:13 Having heard everything , I have reached this conclusion : Fear God and keep his commandments , because this is the whole duty of man . 12:14 For God will evaluate every deed , including every secret thing, whether good or evil .

Pericope

NET
  • Ecc 12:8 -- Concluding Refrain: Qoheleth Restates His Thesis
  • Ecc 12:9-11 -- Concluding Epilogue: Qoheleth's Advice is Wise
  • Ecc 12:12-14 -- Concluding Exhortation: Fear God and Obey His Commands!

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The rest of this section contains the record of the Israelites' reaction to the giving of the Law and God's reason for giving it as He did. He wanted the people to reverence Him and therefore not to sin (v. 20).343"It can be ...
  • Solomon wrote that the fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge (Prov. 1:7; cf. Eccles. 12:13; Ps. 111:10). At the very beginning of his reign he gave evidence of being wise by the way he dealt with his political enemies....
  • The writer may have quoted Job 28:28, Proverbs 1:7 or 9:10, or Ecclesiastes 12:13."This famous saying is virtually the motto of the Wisdom writers, where its truth appears in various forms . . ."185In view of God's great acts...
  • This verse enjoys almost universal recognition as the key statement not only in Proverbs but in all the wisdom literature of the Bible (cf. 9:10; 15:33; Job 28:28; Ps. 111:10; Eccles. 12:13). Some people think of it as the mo...
  • The commentators sometimes treat the Hebrew word qohelet("Preacher"; 1:1-2, 12; 7:27; 12:8-10) as a proper name.1However the fact that the article is present on the Hebrew word in 12:8, and perhaps in 7:27, seems to indicate ...
  • I believe that the message of Ecclesiastes is essentially a positive one. This may seem strange since the vanity of various human endeavors is such a major theme of this book. Nevertheless the total statement that Solomon mad...
  • I. The introductory affirmation 1:1-11A. Title and theme 1:1-21. The title 1:12. The theme 1:2B. The futility of all human endeavor 1:3-111. The vanity of work 1:32. The illustrations from life 1:4-11II. The futility of work ...
  • The author identified himself by his titles. These titles as well as other references to the writer in the book (cf. 1:12, 16; 2:4-9) point to Solomon more than to any other person.10Later he claimed divine authority for this...
  • "Vanity"(Heb. hebel) means "meaningless."11As Solomon used this word in Ecclesiastes he meant lacking real substance, value, permanence, or significance. "All"in the context of what he proceeded to describe refers to all huma...
  • To clarify his meaning and to support his contention in verse 3, Solomon cited examples from nature. Work produces nothing ultimate or truly satisfying.1:4 No person is permanent on the earth. The earth remains, but people di...
  • "The sacrifice of fools"in view (v. 1) is a rash vow, as is clear from what follows. Verse 3 seems to compare the verbosity of a fool in making a rash vow to God and the endless dreams one often experiences after a very busy ...
  • Clues in the text indicate the value and purpose of 6:10-11:6. The phrases "does not know"and "cannot discover"occur frequently (6:12; 7:14, 24, 28; 8:17; 19:1, 12; 10:14; 11:2, 6). Also the recurrence of "it is good"(7:18) a...
  • He began by exposing our ignorance of the significance of adversity and prosperity (7:1-14; cf. Job). Both of these conditions, he noted, can have good and bad effects depending on how a person responds to them. Prosperity is...
  • In 1:12-6:9, Solomon demonstrated that all work is ultimately futile for two reasons. It does not yield anything really permanent under the sun. Moreover we can never be sure we will enjoy the fruits of our labor before we di...
  • Again Solomon began with a clear statement of his point and then proceeded to prove and illustrate its truth in the verses that follow. "Remember"means to live your life with what you know about God clearly in view, not just ...
  • In conclusion Solomon repeated his original thesis (v. 8; cf. 1:2) and his counsel in view of life's realities (vv. 13-14). In between these statements he set forth his source of authority for writing what we have in Ecclesia...
  • Archer, Gleason L., Jr. "The Linguistic Evidence for the Date of Ecclesiastes'."Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society12:3 (Summer 1969):167-81.Barton, G. A. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Ecclesi...
  • 14:6 John next saw another angel (cf. 7:2; 8:3; 10:1) flying between heaven and earth (cf. 8:13). He was "another"probably like Michael (12:7), the nearest specific angel in the context. This is the first of six specific ange...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; 2. While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not dark...
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