The Meaning of Ecclesiastes 12:6 Explained

Ecclesiastes 12:6

KJV: 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.

YLT: While that the silver cord is not removed, And the golden bowl broken, And the pitcher broken by the fountain, And the wheel broken at the well.

Darby: before the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be shattered at the fountain, or the wheel be broken at the cistern;

ASV: before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern,

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Or ever  the silver  cord  be loosed  {08675;07368:08735}, or the golden  bowl  be broken,  or the pitcher  be broken  at the fountain,  or the wheel  broken  at the cistern. 

What does Ecclesiastes 12:6 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Solomon described the end of life first as the extinguishing of a light. The "golden bowl" is a bowl that holds a flame. When the "silver cord" that holds it breaks, the bowl crashes to the floor and the light goes out. Gold and silver express the great value of life.
The second description of death is water that one can no longer draw out of a well.
The "wording gives us a picture of the ruined apparatus plus the wheel as they have crashed down into the old cistern. So man breaks down and falls into a pit also." [1]
Whereas the first figure emphasizes the value of life, this one stresses its fragile nature. The pitcher would have been clay.

Context Summary

Ecclesiastes 12:1-14 - "the End Of The Matter"
This comparison of the human body to a house is extremely beautiful. The inference is obvious that our bodies are not ourselves, but only our tenement. Our sojourn in this world is on a lodger's tenure. The keepers of the house are, of course, the arms and hands. The grinding is low as in advancing life we lose our teeth. The door is the month, for in age we talk and laugh less, and our lips become compressed. The voice pipes and mutters. The almond tree, with its white blossoms, is, of course, an appropriate symbol of old age. The lamp of life finally falls with a crash on the floor, and the wheel is broken.
What, then, is the conclusion of the whole matter? This: that earthly delights are transient; that all this world can offer is an inn for a lodging-it is not our home; that the soul must go forth on its great quest at the hour of death; and that then the one all-important consideration will be, What has been its attitude toward God? Let us love God with the loving fear of grieving Him that casts out the fear which has torment. This is the whole matter; that is the one matter of overshadowing importance [source]

Chapter Summary: Ecclesiastes 12

1  the Creator is to be remembered in due time
8  The preacher's care to edify
13  the fear of God is the chief antidote for vanity

What do the individual words in Ecclesiastes 12:6 mean?

Or [Remember your Creator] before not - is loosed cord the silver Or is broken bowl the golden Or shattered the pitcher at the fountain Or broken the wheel at the well
עַ֣ד אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־ [ירחק] (יֵרָתֵק֙) חֶ֣בֶל הַכֶּ֔סֶף וְתָרֻ֖ץ גֻּלַּ֣ת הַזָּהָ֑ב וְתִשָּׁ֤בֶר כַּד֙ עַל־ הַמַּבּ֔וּעַ וְנָרֹ֥ץ הַגַּלְגַּ֖ל אֶל־ הַבּֽוֹר

אֲשֶׁ֤ר  [Remember  your  Creator]  before 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
[ירחק]  - 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
(יֵרָתֵק֙)  is  loosed 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: רָחַק  
Sense: to be or become far, be or become distant, be removed, go far away.
חֶ֣בֶל  cord 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: חֶבֶל 
Sense: a cord, rope, territory, band, company.
הַכֶּ֔סֶף  the  silver 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֶּסֶף  
Sense: silver, money.
וְתָרֻ֖ץ  Or  is  broken 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: רָצַץ  
Sense: to crush, oppress.
גֻּלַּ֣ת  bowl 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: גֻּלָּה 
Sense: bowl, spring, basin.
הַזָּהָ֑ב  the  golden 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: זָהָב  
Sense: gold.
וְתִשָּׁ֤בֶר  Or  shattered 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: שָׁבוּר 
Sense: to break, break in pieces.
כַּד֙  the  pitcher 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: כַּד  
Sense: jar, large jar (portable).
עַל־  at 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
הַמַּבּ֔וּעַ  the  fountain 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַבּוּעַ  
Sense: spring of water.
וְנָרֹ֥ץ  Or  broken 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: רָצַץ  
Sense: to crush, oppress.
הַגַּלְגַּ֖ל  the  wheel 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: גַּלְגַּל 
Sense: wheel, whirl, whirlwind, whirling.
אֶל־  at 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
הַבּֽוֹר  the  well 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֹּור 
Sense: pit, well, cistern.

What are the major concepts related to Ecclesiastes 12:6?

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