Ecclesiastes 12:2

1 Remember^a now your Creator in the days of your youth,
Before the¹ difficult days come,
And the years draw near ^bwhen you say,
“I have no pleasure in them”:

2 While the sun and the light,
The moon and the stars,
Are not darkened,
And the clouds do not return after the rain;

3 In the day when the keepers of the house tremble,
And the strong men bow down;
When the grinders cease because they are few,
And those that look through the windows grow dim;

4 When the doors are shut in the streets,
And the sound of grinding is low;
When one rises up at the sound of a bird,
And all ^athe daughters of music are brought low.

5 Also they are afraid of height,
And of terrors in the way;
When the almond tree blossoms,
The grasshopper is a burden,
And desire fails.
For man goes to ^ahis eternal home,
And ^bthe mourners go about the streets.

6 Remember your Creator before the silver cord is¹ loosed,
Or the golden bowl is broken,
Or the pitcher shattered at the fountain,
Or the wheel broken at the well.

7 ^aThen the dust will return to the earth as it was,
^bAnd the spirit will return to God ^cwho gave it.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

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What Does Ecclesiastes 12:2 Mean?

Ecclesiastes 12:2

There is a progression from sun to moon to stars in terms of the diminishing of light to a person observing from the earth. What does light represent in this context? Joy—the goodness of life. Solomon is asserting that, as a person ages, his capacity to enjoy the good things diminishes. He is underlining the inevitability of the problems of old age.

Even though Solomon directly says, "Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth," his meaning is more emphatic: "Get started now! Do not wait! Do not delay! Live life the right way when you are young because, as you get older, your capacity to enjoy diminishes."

John W. Ritenbaugh
Ecclesiastes and the Feast of Tabernacles (Part 2)

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What Does Ecclesiastes 12:2 Mean?

Ecclesiastes 12:2

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