Ecclesiastes 12:13
When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.
When all has been heard
This phrase signifies the culmination of the search for meaning and understanding throughout the book of Ecclesiastes. The Hebrew root for "heard" is "שָׁמַע" (shama), which implies not just hearing but understanding and internalizing. In the context of Ecclesiastes, it suggests a comprehensive examination of life's experiences and wisdom. Historically, this reflects the tradition of oral teaching and the importance of listening to wisdom literature in ancient Israel.

the conclusion of the matter
The Hebrew word for "conclusion" is "סוֹף" (sof), meaning end or finality. This phrase indicates a summation or the ultimate insight gained from the preceding discourse. It emphasizes the importance of distilling life's complexities into a simple, profound truth. In a historical context, this reflects the wisdom tradition's goal of providing clear guidance for living a righteous life.

Fear God
The Hebrew word for "fear" is "יָרֵא" (yare), which encompasses reverence, awe, and respect. This is not a fear of terror but a recognition of God's majesty and authority. In the scriptural context, fearing God is foundational to wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). It reflects a relationship of humility and submission to God's will, acknowledging His sovereignty over all creation.

and keep His commandments
The Hebrew word for "keep" is "שָׁמַר" (shamar), meaning to guard, observe, or give heed. This implies active obedience and careful attention to God's laws. The commandments refer to the Torah, the divine instructions given to guide moral and spiritual conduct. Historically, this reflects the covenant relationship between God and His people, where obedience is a response to God's faithfulness and love.

for this is the whole duty of man
The word "duty" is not explicitly present in the Hebrew text; rather, the phrase "כִּי־זֶה כָּל־הָאָדָם" (ki-zeh kol-ha'adam) translates to "for this is the whole of man." This suggests that fearing God and keeping His commandments encompass the entirety of human purpose and existence. It implies that true fulfillment and meaning in life are found in aligning oneself with God's will. In a theological context, this reflects the belief that humanity's ultimate purpose is to glorify God and enjoy a relationship with Him.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Solomon
Traditionally considered the author of Ecclesiastes, Solomon was the son of King David and known for his wisdom. Ecclesiastes is often seen as a reflection on the meaning of life and the pursuit of fulfillment.

2. Israel
The nation to whom Solomon originally addressed his writings. The teachings in Ecclesiastes are rooted in the cultural and religious context of ancient Israel.

3. The Preacher (Qoheleth)
The voice in Ecclesiastes, often identified with Solomon, who explores the purpose and meaning of life.
Teaching Points
The Essence of Duty
Ecclesiastes 12:13 states, "When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man." This encapsulates the essence of human responsibility before God.

Fear of God
The Hebrew word for "fear" (yirah) implies reverence and awe. It is not about being afraid but about recognizing God's majesty and authority in our lives.

Obedience to Commandments
Keeping God's commandments is a practical expression of our reverence for Him. It involves aligning our lives with His will as revealed in Scripture.

Life's Ultimate Purpose
The pursuit of wisdom, pleasure, and achievement is ultimately meaningless without a relationship with God. Our purpose is found in living according to His design.

Eternal Perspective
Understanding our duty to fear God and keep His commandments gives us an eternal perspective, guiding our decisions and priorities in life.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the concept of fearing God in Ecclesiastes 12:13 compare to other biblical references to the fear of the Lord, such as in Proverbs 1:7?

2. In what ways can keeping God's commandments be seen as the "whole duty of man" in today's context?

3. How does the message of Ecclesiastes 12:13 challenge the pursuit of worldly achievements and pleasures?

4. Reflect on a time when you experienced a deeper understanding of God's majesty. How did it impact your obedience to His commandments?

5. How can we cultivate an eternal perspective in our daily lives, as encouraged by the teachings of Ecclesiastes 12:13?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Proverbs 1:7
This verse emphasizes the fear of the Lord as the beginning of knowledge, connecting to Ecclesiastes 12:13's call to fear God and keep His commandments.

Deuteronomy 10:12-13
These verses outline what God requires of Israel, which includes fearing Him and keeping His commandments, echoing the conclusion of Ecclesiastes.

Matthew 22:37-40
Jesus summarizes the law as loving God and loving others, which aligns with the call to keep God's commandments as the essence of human duty.
Making the Most of LifeJ. M. Sherwood, D. D.Ecclesiastes 12:13
The Fear of GodH. J. Hastings, M. A.Ecclesiastes 12:13
The Moral of it AllE. Johnson, M. A.Ecclesiastes 12:13
The Purpose of LifeW. Walters.Ecclesiastes 12:13
The Summary of ManhoodR. C. CowellEcclesiastes 12:13
The Whole Duty of ManJ. M. Buckley, D. D.Ecclesiastes 12:13
What is the Whole Duty of ManL. O. Thompson.Ecclesiastes 12:13
Divine Requirement and Human ResponseW. Clarkson Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14
Religion, Righteousness, and RetributionD. Thomas Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14
The Last WordJ. Willcock Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14
People
Solomon
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Applies, Commandments, Commands, Conclusion, Duty, Fear, Laws, Matter
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Ecclesiastes 12:13

     1335   blessing
     4016   life, human
     5763   attitudes, positive to God
     8336   reverence, and obedience
     8365   wisdom, human
     8404   commands, in OT
     8754   fear

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

     5853   experience, of life

Library
The Conclusion of the Matter
'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; 2. While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain; 3. 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, 4. And the doors shall be shut in
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Work of Our Sanctification.
How much more easily sanctity appears when regarded from this point of view. If the work of our sanctification presents, apparently, the most insurmountable difficulties, it is because we do not know how to form a just idea of it. In reality sanctity can be reduced to one single practice, fidelity to the duties appointed by God. Now this fidelity is equally within each one's power whether in its active practice, or passive exercise. The active practice of fidelity consists in accomplishing the duties
Jean-Pierre de Caussade—Abandonment to Divine Providence

Circumstances and Consequences
And fears shall be in the way.' (Ecclesiastes xii. 5.) The man who wrote these words was specially emphasizing the importance of settling one's relationships to the great Creator before the coming of days when infirmities increase, and decay of natural powers sets in. The practical outcome of that thought is, that postponement only adds to one's difficulties when the battle really has to be fought. Amongst those difficulties the sacred writer places that natural foreboding, physical shrinking
T. H. Howard—Standards of Life and Service

The Ancestral Home
John Van Nest Talmage was born at Somerville, New Jersey, August 18, 1819 He was the fourth son in a family of seven brothers and five sisters. The roots of the Talmage genealogical tree may be traced back to the year 1630, when Enos and Thomas Talmage, the progenitors of the Talmage family in North America, landed at Charlestown, Massachusetts, and afterwards settled at East Hampton, Long Island. Dr. Lyman Beecher represents the first settlers of East Hampton as "men resolute, enterprising, acquainted
Rev. John Gerardus Fagg—Forty Years in South China

Letter cxxvi. To Marcellinus and Anapsychia.
Marcellinus, a Roman official of high rank, and Anapsychia his wife had written to Jerome from Africa to ask him his opinion on the vexed question of the origin of the soul. Jerome in his reply briefly enumerates the several views that have been held on the subject. For fuller information he refers his questioners to his treatise against Rufinus and also to their bishop Augustin who will, he says, explain the matter to them by word of mouth. Although it hardly appears in this letter Jerome is a decided
St. Jerome—The Principal Works of St. Jerome

Obedience to God the Way to Faith in Christ.
"When Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, He said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God."--Mark xii. 34. The answer of the scribe, which our blessed Lord here commends, was occasioned by Christ's setting before him the two great commandments of the Law. When He had declared the love of God and of man to comprehend our whole duty, the scribe said, "Master, Thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but He: and to love Him with all the heart, and with
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII

The Abrogation of the Saybrook Platform
That house cannot stand.--Mark iii, 25. The times change and we change with them.--Proverb. The omission of all persecuting acts from the revision of the laws in 1750 was evidence that the worst features of the great schism were passing, that public opinion as a whole had grown averse to any great severity toward the Separatists as dissenters. But the continuance in the revised statutes of the Saybrook Platform as the legalized constitution of the "Presbyterian, Congregational or Consociated Church,"
M. Louise Greene, Ph. D.—The Development of Religious Liberty in Connecticut

A Treatise of the Fear of God;
SHOWING WHAT IT IS, AND HOW DISTINGUISHED FROM THAT WHICH IS NOT SO. ALSO, WHENCE IT COMES; WHO HAS IT; WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS; AND WHAT THE PRIVILEGES OF THOSE THAT HAVE IT IN THEIR HEARTS. London: Printed for N. Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, over against the Stocks market: 1679. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," and "a fountain of life"--the foundation on which all wisdom rests, as well as the source from whence it emanates. Upon a principle
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

1 to Pray Does not Imply that Without Prayer God Would not Give us Anything...
1. To pray does not imply that without prayer God would not give us anything or that He would be unaware of our needs, but it has this great advantage, that in the attitude of prayer the soul is best fitted to receive the Giver of blessing as well as those blessings He desires to bestow. Thus it was that the fullness of the Spirit was not poured out upon the Apostles on the first day, but after ten days of special preparation. If a blessing were conferred upon one without a special readiness for
Sadhu Sundar Singh—At The Master's Feet

The Fifth Commandment
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.' Exod 20: 12. Having done with the first table, I am next to speak of the duties of the second table. The commandments may be likened to Jacob's ladder: the first table respects God, and is the top of the ladder that reaches to heaven; the second respects superiors and inferiors, and is the foot of the ladder that rests on the earth. By the first table, we walk religiously towards God; by
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

Appendix v. Rabbinic Theology and Literature
1. The Traditional Law. - The brief account given in vol. i. p. 100, of the character and authority claimed for the traditional law may here be supplemented by a chronological arrangement of the Halakhoth in the order of their supposed introduction or promulgation. In the first class, or Halakhoth of Moses from Sinai,' tradition enumerates fifty-five, [6370] which may be thus designated: religio-agrarian, four; [6371] ritual, including questions about clean and unclean,' twenty-three; [6372] concerning
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

A Prayer when one Begins to be Sick.
O most righteous Judge, yet in Jesus Christ my gracious Father! I, wretched sinner, do here return unto thee, though driven with pain and sickness, like the prodigal child with want and hunger. I acknowledge that this sickness and pain comes not by blind chance or fortune, but by thy divine providence and special appointment. It is the stroke of thy heavy hand, which my sins have justly deserved; and the things that I feared are now fallen upon me (Job iii. 25.) Yet do I well perceive that in wrath
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Christian Man
Scripture references: Genesis 1:26-28; 2:7; 9:6; Job 33:4; Psalm 100:3; 8:4-9; Ecclesiastes 7:29; Acts 17:26-28; 1 Corinthians 11:7; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 3:10; 1 Corinthians 15:45; Hebrews 2:6,7; Ephesians 6:10-18; 1 Corinthians 2:9. WHAT IS MAN? What Shall We Think of Man?--Who is he? What is his place on the earth and in the universe? What is his destiny? He is of necessity an object of thought. He is the subject of natural laws, instincts and passions. How far is he free; how far bound?
Henry T. Sell—Studies in the Life of the Christian

The Heavenly Footman; Or, a Description of the Man that Gets to Heaven:
TOGETHER WITH THE WAY HE RUNS IN, THE MARKS HE GOES BY; ALSO, SOME DIRECTIONS HOW TO RUN SO AS TO OBTAIN. 'And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain: escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.'--Genesis 19:17. London: Printed for John Marshall, at the Bible in Gracechurch Street, 1698. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. About forty years ago a gentleman, in whose company I had commenced my
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Of the Effects of those Prerogatives.
From these prerogatives there will arise to the elect in heaven, five notable effects:-- 1. They shall know God with a perfect knowledge (1 Cor. i. 10), so far as creatures can possibly comprehend the Creator. For there we shall see the Word, the Creator; and in the Word, all creatures that by the Word were created; so that we shall not need to learn (of the things which were made) the knowledge of him by whom all things were made. The most excellent creatures in this life, are but as a dark veil
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

Ecclesiastes
It is not surprising that the book of Ecclesiastes had a struggle to maintain its place in the canon, and it was probably only its reputed Solomonic authorship and the last two verses of the book that permanently secured its position at the synod of Jamnia in 90 A.D. The Jewish scholars of the first century A.D. were struck by the manner in which it contradicted itself: e.g., "I praised the dead more than the living," iv. 2, "A living dog is better than a dead lion," ix. 4; but they were still more
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Christ the King at his Table. Ss 1:2-5,12,13,17.
Christ the King at his table. SS 1:2-5,12,13,17. Let him embrace my soul, and prove Mine interest in his heav'nly love; The voice that tells me, "Thou art mine," Exceeds the blessings of the vine. On thee th' anointing Spirit came, And spreads the savor of thy name; That oil of gladness and of grace Draws virgin souls to meet thy face. Jesus, allure me by thy charms, My soul shall fly into thine arms! Our wand'ring feet thy favors bring To the fair chambers of the King. [Wonder and pleasure tune
Isaac Watts—The Psalms and Hymns of Isaac Watts

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