Ecclesiastes 12:1
וּזְכֹר֙ אֶת־בּ֣וֹרְאֶ֔יךָ בִּימֵ֖י בְּחוּרֹתֶ֑יךָ עַ֣ד אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹא־יָבֹ֙אוּ֙ יְמֵ֣י הָֽרָעָ֔ה וְהִגִּ֣יעוּ שָׁנִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר תֹּאמַ֔ר אֵֽין־לִ֥י בָהֶ֖ם חֵֽפֶץ׃
Ecclesiastes 12:2
עַ֠ד אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹֽא־תֶחְשַׁ֤ךְ הַשֶּׁ֙מֶשׁ֙ וְהָא֔וֹר וְהַיָּרֵ֖חַ וְהַכּוֹכָבִ֑ים וְשָׁ֥בוּ הֶעָבִ֖ים אַחַ֥ר הַגָּֽשֶׁם׃
Ecclesiastes 12:3
בַּיּ֗וֹם שֶׁיָּזֻ֙עוּ֙ שֹׁמְרֵ֣י הַבַּ֔יִת וְהִֽתְעַוְּת֖וּ אַנְשֵׁ֣י הֶחָ֑יִל וּבָטְל֤וּ הַטֹּֽחֲנוֹת֙ כִּ֣י מִעֵ֔טוּ וְחָשְׁכ֥וּ הָרֹא֖וֹת בָּאֲרֻבּֽוֹת׃
Ecclesiastes 12:4
וְסֻגְּר֤וּ דְלָתַ֙יִם֙ בַּשּׁ֔וּק בִּשְׁפַ֖ל ק֣וֹל הַֽטַּחֲנָ֑ה וְיָקוּם֙ לְק֣וֹל הַצִּפּ֔וֹר וְיִשַּׁ֖חוּ כָּל־בְּנ֥וֹת הַשִּֽׁיר׃
Ecclesiastes 12:5
גַּ֣ם מִגָּבֹ֤הַּ יִרָ֙אוּ֙ וְחַתְחַתִּ֣ים בַּדֶּ֔רֶךְ וְיָנֵ֤אץ הַשָּׁקֵד֙ וְיִסְתַּבֵּ֣ל הֶֽחָגָ֔ב וְתָפֵ֖ר הָֽאֲבִיּוֹנָ֑ה כִּֽי־הֹלֵ֤ךְ הָאָדָם֙ אֶל־בֵּ֣ית עוֹלָמ֔וֹ וְסָבְב֥וּ בָשּׁ֖וּק הַסֹּפְדִֽים׃
Ecclesiastes 12:6
עַ֣ד אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־יִרְחַק חֶ֣בֶל הַכֶּ֔סֶף וְתָרֻ֖ץ גֻּלַּ֣ת הַזָּהָ֑ב וְתִשָּׁ֤בֶר כַּד֙ עַל־הַמַּבּ֔וּעַ וְנָרֹ֥ץ הַגַּלְגַּ֖ל אֶל־הַבּֽוֹר׃
Ecclesiastes 12:7
וְיָשֹׁ֧ב הֶעָפָ֛ר עַל־הָאָ֖רֶץ כְּשֶׁהָיָ֑ה וְהָר֣וּחַ תָּשׁ֔וּב אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר נְתָנָֽהּ׃
Ecclesiastes 12:8
הֲבֵ֧ל הֲבָלִ֛ים אָמַ֥ר הַקּוֹהֶ֖לֶת הַכֹּ֥ל הָֽבֶל׃
Ecclesiastes 12:9
וְיֹתֵ֕ר שֶׁהָיָ֥ה קֹהֶ֖לֶת חָכָ֑ם ע֗וֹד לִמַּד־דַּ֙עַת֙ אֶת־הָעָ֔ם וְאִזֵּ֣ן וְחִקֵּ֔ר תִּקֵּ֖ן מְשָׁלִ֥ים הַרְבֵּֽה׃
And better, the preacher was wise; he still taught the people knowledge and weighed and studied and arranged many sayings.
Paraphrase: Now, I’ve reached the end of my book. You have seen that my best attempts to understand this world have ended in hevel. Now if that were the end, then truly, we are the most miserable of all God’s creatures, but the preacher is a wise man. He recognized that there is another source of wisdom. One wisdom is just men using their own minds to try to make sense of it all. This is “under the sun” wisdom, and it really is just so much hevel. There is another kind of wisdom, however, that comes from above the sun. This is the light which shines from God Himself. Now because Qoheleth knew this and because he was a wise man, he was able to take all the different philosophies of this world and to carefully sift through them. In some, he found real wisdom, and these he kept and carefully arranged in a book. Then Qoheleth taught the people and showed them how to find the right way to live and how to recognize the folly that so often passes for real wisdom.
Comments:
Ecclesiastes 12:10
בִּקֵּ֣שׁ קֹהֶ֔לֶת לִמְצֹ֖א דִּבְרֵי־חֵ֑פֶץ וְכָת֥וּב יֹ֖שֶׁר דִּבְרֵ֥י אֱמֶֽת׃
Qoheleth sought to find words of pleasure and writings of straightness and words of truth.
Paraphrase: Qoheleth knew he had to find words which were true and right, but where? So far, everything was folly and hevel. He knew that he could not find such words only using his own mind and his own judgment.
Comments:
Ecclesiastes 12:11
דִּבְרֵ֤י חֲכָמִים֙ כַּדָּ֣רְבֹנ֔וֹת וּֽכְמַשְׂמְר֥וֹת נְטוּעִ֖ים בַּעֲלֵ֣י אֲסֻפּ֑וֹת נִתְּנ֖וּ מֵרֹעֶ֥ה אֶחָֽד׃
The words of the wise are as goads and as nails being fixed of the master of proverb-collectors; they are given of the Shepherd One.
Paraphrase: The kind of wisdom Qoheleth was looking for was not hevel. On the contrary, it was like a goad which a farmer uses to guide his ox in the right direction. You might say that his wisdom is like nails which securely fasten boards together to make a structure. Such wisdom is not hevel but is treasured up by people like Qoheleth and used to instruct the people. Such wisdom does not come from under the sun but from above the sun, from the Great Shepherd (Genesis 48:15; Psalm 23:1; 80:1; 95:7; 100:3 Isaiah 40:11; Ezekiel 34:11-16) who leads Joseph like a flock.
Comments:
Ecclesiastes 12:12
וְיֹתֵ֥ר מֵהֵ֖מָּה בְּנִ֣י הִזָּהֵ֑ר עֲשׂ֨וֹת סְפָרִ֤ים הַרְבֵּה֙ אֵ֣ין קֵ֔ץ וְלַ֥הַג הַרְבֵּ֖ה יְגִעַ֥ת בָּשָֽׂר׃
And moreover, from these, my son, be warned. The making of many books, there is no end, and much study tires the flesh.
Paraphrase: One more thing, my son. Qoheleth has done a great deal of study. He has searched through the wisdom of many learned men, and now I want to leave you with this caution. The world is stuffed full of the books from those men who have none of the wisdom which comes from the Great Shepherd. There is no end to such writing; you could read from morning to night and never finish. The more you study it, the more confused you become. Eventually, your body will collapse under the mental strain of trying to understand it all. So my caution is that you avoid such writings. It’s all just so much hevel; there’s very little value to it.
Comments:
Ecclesiastes 12:13
ס֥וֹף דָּבָ֖ר הַכֹּ֣ל נִשְׁמָ֑ע אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִ֤ים יְרָא֙ וְאֶת־מִצְוֺתָ֣יו שְׁמ֔וֹר כִּי־זֶ֖ה כָּל־הָאָדָֽם׃
The end of the word, the whole having heard: Fear God and keep His commands for this is all of man.
Paraphrase: So here is my point in writing all of this. I want you to see the utter futility of trying to understand life using your own reasoning. A person on planet earth simply can’t see far enough to untie these mysteries. To find the words of truth, you must look above the sun to God Himself. When you sit at His feet, you will find the truth. When He teaches you something, believe it; when He gives a command, obey it; when He threatens punishment, tremble; when He promises blessing, embrace that promise. This is the whole meaning of life; there’s no better way to live. This is everything you need to know.
Comments:
Ecclesiastes 12:14
כִּ֤י אֶת־כָּל־מַֽעֲשֶׂ֔ה הָאֱלֹהִ֛ים יָבִ֥א בְמִשְׁפָּ֖ט עַ֣ל כָּל־נֶעְלָ֑ם אִם־ט֖וֹב וְאִם־רָֽע׃
For every work, God will bring to judgment also every hidden thing, whether good or whether evil.
Paraphrase: A day is coming, when God will summon us to His glorious judgment seat. His all seeing eye will then inspect everything which we’ve done in our brief life. Where we have followed His commands, we will be justified. Where we have gone contrary to His law, we will be condemned.
Comments: