Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | Ecclesiastes 12:3 in the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and mighty men stoop, the grinding ones stand idle because they are few, and those who look through windows grow dim; |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ecclesiastes 12:3 in the day when the keepers of the house (hands, arms) tremble, and the strong men (feet, knees) bow themselves, and the grinders (molar teeth) cease because they are few, and those (eyes) who look through the windows grow dim; |
Bible Question: What does "keepers of the house shall tremble" and "grinders" mean in Ecclesiastes 12:3 ? |
Bible Answer: Greetings Ken John, "in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look through the windows are dimmed," [ESV] Here is a bit of commentary on Ecclesiastes 12:3.. "12:3 keepers of the house. This and the other metaphors may refer to parts of the body (hands, legs, etc.). But the imagery should not be pressed to the extent that it destroys the poetry, which moves freely between figures such as darkness, storm, a house in decline and a deserted well, and such literal descriptions as in v. 5a." (1) "12:3 watchmen of the house. I.e., arms and hands. mighty men stoop. I.e., legs that become weak. grinding ones. I.e., a few remaining teeth. those who look through windows grow dim. I.e., weak eyes." (2) "12:3 Verses 3-6 list the bodily infirmities that increasingly hinder an older person from serving God. If the house stands for the aging body, then the keepers are the arms and hands. strong men bow down: The legs are bent in feebleness and the knees cannot be depended on for support. grinders cease: The teeth, now fewer than before, cannot chew the food as well as they once did. those that look through the windows grow dim: The eyes begin to lose their sight." (3) "12:2-4: Symbols of decrepitude. .." (4) "3. keepers of the house—namely, the hands and arms which protected the body, as guards do a palace (Ge 49:24; Job 4:19; 2Co 5:1), are now palsied. strong men . . . bow— (Jud 16:25, 30). Like supporting pillars, the feet and knees (So 5:15); the strongest members (Ps 147:10). grinders—the molar teeth. cease—are idle. those that look out of the windows—the eyes; the powers of vision, looking out from beneath the eyelids, which open and shut like the casement of a window." (5) Blessings to you, Makarios (1) The NIV Study Bible, 1995, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, MI, Kenneth Barker, General Editor, pg. 995 (2) Ryrie Study Bible, Expanded Edition, 1995, The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago, Charles C. Ryrie, pg. 1030 (3) The Nelson Study Bible, New King James Version, 1997, Thomas Nelson Publishers, Earl D. Radmacher, pg. 1095 (4) The Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, Revised Standard Version, 1965, Oxford University Press, Inc., Bruce M. Metzger, Herbert G. May, pg. 814 (5) Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary |