Ecclesiastes 12:1–7
"Or ever the silver cord be loosed"
The closing poem: remember your Creator before the house falls silent, the almond blossoms, the caper fails, and the silver cord, golden bowl, jar and wheel break; dust returns to the earth and the breath to God. The witnesses agree on most words; they differ on rare ones (aviyonah: "caper" in Greek and Latin, "desire" in the KJV) and the Hebrew has a ketiv/qere in 12:6 (written "be removed," read "be snapped").
Same letters, different readings: the consonants agree, but ancient readers vocalized or interpreted them differently
The family tree
Each row is a language or text tradition. Witnesses in the same row may share ancestry, revise one another, or have an uncertain relationship; the line under each box says which. A solid arrow appears only where direct copying or a documented revised edition is established. Order by date never implies copying. Scroll sideways on a phone.
✓ contains it · ✕ does not · ❝ quotes part of it · ⓘ reports on manuscripts · ▢ pages lost · – no copy survives
- Same line, through lost copies
- Translation
Every witness, in order
Often dated 4th–3rd century BC (debated)
The book as first written
No original survives. The oldest Hebrew copies of Ecclesiastes are two Qumran fragments, 4Q109 (4QQoh-a, mid-2nd century BC, reported) and 4Q110 (4QQoh-b, reported).
Jerome c. AD 398, from Hebrew; edition 1592
Latin Vulgate (Clementine)
How the site knows this: Read in the site's library text: Clementine Vulgate (1592 edition).
Memento Creatoris tui in diebus juventutis tuæ, antequam veniat tempus afflictionis, et appropinquent anni de quibus dicas: Non mihi placent; antequam tenebrescat sol, et lumen, et luna, et stellæ, et revertantur nubes post pluviam; quando commovebuntur custodes domus, et nutabunt viri fortissimi, et otiosæ erunt molentes in minuto numero, et tenebrescent videntes per foramina; et claudent ostia in platea, in humilitate vocis molentis, et consurgent ad vocem volucris, et obsurdescent omnes filiæ carminis: excelsa quoque timebunt, et formidabunt in via. Florebit amygdalus, impinguabitur locusta, et dissipabitur capparis, quoniam ibit homo in domum æternitatis suæ, et circuibunt in platea plangentes. Antequam rumpatur funiculus argenteus, et recurrat vitta aurea, et conteratur hydria super fontem, et confringatur rota super cisternam, et revertatur pulvis in terram suam unde erat, et spiritus redeat ad Deum, qui dedit illum.
Latin numbering: Ecclesiastes 12:1–7. Jerome translated Ecclesiastes from Hebrew (c. AD 398), after writing a commentary on it (c. 388); the Vulgate is an indirect witness to a Hebrew text, with Jerome's interpretation.
AD 1008
Masoretic Text (Leningrad Codex)
How the site knows this: Read in the site's library text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, a digital transcription of the Leningrad Codex.
וּזְכֹר֙ אֶת־בּ֣וֹרְאֶ֔יךָ בִּימֵ֖י בְּחוּרֹתֶ֑יךָ עַ֣ד אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹא־יָבֹ֙אוּ֙ יְמֵ֣י הָֽרָעָ֔ה וְהִגִּ֣יעוּ שָׁנִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר תֹּאמַ֔ר אֵֽין־לִ֥י בָהֶ֖ם חֵֽפֶץ׃ עַ֠ד אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹֽא־תֶחְשַׁ֤ךְ הַשֶּׁ֙מֶשׁ֙ וְהָא֔וֹר וְהַיָּרֵ֖חַ וְהַכּוֹכָבִ֑ים וְשָׁ֥בוּ הֶעָבִ֖ים אַחַ֥ר הַגָּֽשֶׁם׃ בַּיּ֗וֹם שֶׁיָּזֻ֙עוּ֙ שֹׁמְרֵ֣י הַבַּ֔יִת וְהִֽתְעַוְּת֖וּ אַנְשֵׁ֣י הֶחָ֑יִל וּבָטְל֤וּ הַטֹּֽחֲנוֹת֙ כִּ֣י מִעֵ֔טוּ וְחָשְׁכ֥וּ הָרֹא֖וֹת בָּאֲרֻבּֽוֹת׃ וְסֻגְּר֤וּ דְלָתַ֙יִם֙ בַּשּׁ֔וּק בִּשְׁפַ֖ל ק֣וֹל הַֽטַּחֲנָ֑ה וְיָקוּם֙ לְק֣וֹל הַצִּפּ֔וֹר וְיִשַּׁ֖חוּ כָּל־בְּנ֥וֹת הַשִּֽׁיר׃ גַּ֣ם מִגָּבֹ֤הַּ יִרָ֙אוּ֙ וְחַתְחַתִּ֣ים בַּדֶּ֔רֶךְ וְיָנֵ֤אץ הַשָּׁקֵד֙ וְיִסְתַּבֵּ֣ל הֶֽחָגָ֔ב וְתָפֵ֖ר הָֽאֲבִיּוֹנָ֑ה כִּֽי־הֹלֵ֤ךְ הָאָדָם֙ אֶל־בֵּ֣ית עוֹלָמ֔וֹ וְסָבְב֥וּ בָשּׁ֖וּק הַסֹּפְדִֽים׃ עַ֣ד אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־ירחק יֵרָתֵק֙ חֶ֣בֶל הַכֶּ֔סֶף וְתָרֻ֖ץ גֻּלַּ֣ת הַזָּהָ֑ב וְתִשָּׁ֤בֶר כַּד֙ עַל־הַמַּבּ֔וּעַ וְנָרֹ֥ץ הַגַּלְגַּ֖ל אֶל־הַבּֽוֹר׃ וְיָשֹׁ֧ב הֶעָפָ֛ר עַל־הָאָ֖רֶץ כְּשֶׁהָיָ֑ה וְהָר֣וּחַ תָּשׁ֔וּב אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר נְתָנָֽהּ׃
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth… before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl crushed… and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the breath returns to God who gave it
Hebrew numbering: Ecclesiastes 12:1–7.
1611
King James Bible
How the site knows this: Read in the site's library text: King James Version (1769 text).
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; While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low; Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
Greek translation c. 1st–2nd century AD (debated); French 1872
Greek Ecclesiastes (library: Giguet's French)
How the site knows this: Known here only through a translation.
Et, durant les jours de ta jeunesse, souviens-toi de Celui qui t’a créé; avant que les jours de l’adversité soient venus, avant que tu sois surpris par les années, où tu diras Je n’ai point en elles de plaisir; Avant que le soleil et la lumière s’obscurcissent, et la terre et les étoiles; avant que les nuées succèdent à la pluie; Comme il arrivera le jour où les gardiens de la maison trembleront; où les hommes les plus forts plieront le dos; où les esclaves attachés à la meule s’arrêteront faute de force; où celles qui regarderont par la fenêtre ne verront que ténèbres; Quand les portes de la bouche se fermeront, parce que la voix de celle qui avait accoutumé de moudre sera affaiblie; qu’on se lèvera au chant du passereau, et que les filles de l’harmonie ne pourront l’entendre; Où on lèvera les yeux, et où on aura des terreurs dans le chemin; où l’amandier sera en fleur; où les sauterelles se multiplieront; où le câprier tombera en poussière, parce que l’homme sera en marche pour sa demeure éternelle, et que sur la place publique iront çà et là des gens en pleurs; Avant que la chaîne d’argent soit brisée, que la bandelette d’or soit rompue, que l’urne se brise à la fontaine, et que la roue de la citerne se déroule; Avant que la poussière revienne sur la terre, comme elle était, et que l’esprit retourne à Dieu, qui l’a donné.
Greek (digital file) numbering: Ecclesiastes 12:1–7. Giguet's 1872 French of a printed Greek text (D check). A C check needs the Göttingen edition of Greek Ecclesiastes (P. J. Gentry, 2019).
What changed, and why
Bor'ekha ("your Creator," v. 1) is written in a plural-looking form (as with plural-of-majesty forms like Isaiah 54:5). A midrash plays on similar-sounding words: remember your source (be'erkha, your well), your end (borkha, your pit) and your Creator (bor'ekha).
Readings of vv. 2–6: an allegory of the aging body (already in the Talmud, Shabbat 151b–152a); a great house in mourning; cosmic darkening; or a blend. "Silver cord = spinal cord" is a later allegory, not ancient anatomy: the image is a lamp hanging by a chain.
12:7 reverses Genesis 2:7 and 3:19: dust to the ground, breath to God who gave it.
What the evidence shows
- The Greek and Vulgate read 'caper' in 12:5; the KJV 'desire.'
- The Leningrad Codex has a ketiv/qere in 12:6.
- The silver cord is the spinal cord. A later allegory.
Sources
Related lessons
- Ecclesiastes 12: Remember Your Creator →"Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not" (12:1). A poem follows of darkening lights and returning clouds (v. 2); a great house where the keepers tremble, the strong men bend, the grinding women stop and the watchers at the windows grow dim (vv. 3–4); fear of heights, the almond blossoming, the grasshopper dragging itself, the caper berry failing, "because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets" (v. 5); the silver cord, the golden bowl, the pitcher at the spring and the wheel at the cistern broken (v. 6); "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it" (v. 7). The motto returns: "Vanity of vanities… all is vanity" (v. 8). Then a third-person epilogue describes Qoheleth as a wise teacher (vv. 9–10), praises the goads and nails of the wise (v. 11), warns against endless books (v. 12), and concludes: "Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment" (vv. 13–14).
- Investigation: The Fate of Humans and Animals →Ecclesiastes speaks of death more than any other book of the Bible: one fate for wise and fool (2:14–16), for humans and animals (3:19–20), for righteous and wicked (9:2–3); the dead know nothing (9:5); there is no work in Sheol (9:10); the dust returns to the earth and the ruach to God (12:7). This investigation reads these passages in their Hebrew setting and separates them from later doctrines of the afterlife.