Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, when the grinders cease because they are few, and those looking through the windows grow dim; New Living Translation Remember him before your legs—the guards of your house—start to tremble; and before your shoulders—the strong men—stoop. Remember him before your teeth—your few remaining servants—stop grinding; and before your eyes—the women looking through the windows—see dimly. English Standard Version 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, Berean Standard Bible on the day the keepers of the house tremble and the strong men stoop, when those grinding cease because they are few and those watching through windows see dimly, King James Bible 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, New King James Version In the day when the keepers of the house tremble, And the strong men bow down; When the grinders cease because they are few, And those that look through the windows grow dim; New American Standard Bible on the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and strong men are bent over, the grinders stop working because they are few, and those who look through windows grow dim; NASB 1995 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; NASB 1977 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; Legacy Standard Bible in the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and valiant men bend down, the grinding ones stand idle because they are few, and those who look through windows grow dark; Amplified Bible 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; Christian Standard Bible on the day when the guardians of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, the women who grind grain cease because they are few, and the ones who watch through the windows see dimly, Holman Christian Standard Bible on the day when the guardians of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, the women who grind cease because they are few, and the ones who watch through the windows see dimly, American Standard Version 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 shall be darkened, Aramaic Bible in Plain English In the day when the Housekeepers will shake and the Masters of power are agitated, and the grinders will fail because they are few, and the watchers in the windows will grow dark Brenton Septuagint Translation in the day wherein the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the mighty men shall become bent, and the grinding women cease because they have become few, and the women looking out at the windows be dark; Contemporary English Version Your body will grow feeble, your teeth will decay, and your eyesight fail. Douay-Rheims Bible When the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall stagger, and the grinders shall be idle in a small number, and they that look through the holes shall be darkened: English Revised Version 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, GOD'S WORD® Translation Remember your Creator when those who guard the house tremble, strong men are stooped over, the women at the mill stop grinding because there are so few of them, [and] those who look out of the windows see a dim light. Good News Translation Then your arms, that have protected you, will tremble, and your legs, now strong, will grow weak. Your teeth will be too few to chew your food, and your eyes too dim to see clearly. International Standard Version when that day comes, the palace guards will tremble, strong men will stoop down, women grinders will cease because they are few, and the sight of those who peer through the lattice will grow dim. JPS Tanakh 1917 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 shall be darkened in the windows, Literal Standard Version In the day that keepers of the house tremble, | And men of strength have bowed themselves, | And grinders have ceased, because they have become few. And those looking out at the windows have become dim, Majority Standard Bible on the day the keepers of the house tremble and the strong men stoop, when those grinding cease because they are few and those watching through windows see dimly, New American Bible When the guardians of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent; When the women who grind are idle because they are few, and those who look through the windows grow blind; NET Bible when those who keep watch over the house begin to tremble, and the virile men begin to stoop over, and the grinders begin to cease because they grow few, and those who look through the windows grow dim, New Revised Standard Version in the day when the guards of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the women who grind cease working because they are few, and those who look through the windows see dimly; New Heart English Bible 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 who look out of the windows are darkened, Webster's Bible Translation 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 shall be darkened, World English Bible 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 who look out of the windows are darkened, Young's Literal Translation In the day that keepers of the house tremble, And men of strength have bowed themselves, And grinders have ceased, because they have become few. And those looking out at the windows have become dim, Additional Translations ... Context Remember Your Creator…2before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is darkened, and the clouds return after the rain, 3on the day the keepers of the house tremble and the strong men stoop, when those grinding cease because they are few and those watching through windows see dimly, 4when the doors to the street are shut and the sound of the mill fades away, when one rises at the sound of a bird and all the daughters of song grow faint,… Cross References Genesis 27:1 When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called his older son Esau and said to him, "My son." "Here I am," Esau replied. Genesis 48:10 Now Israel's eyesight was poor because of old age; he could hardly see. Joseph brought his sons to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them. 1 Samuel 3:2 And at that time Eli, whose eyesight had grown so dim that he could not see, was lying in his room. Psalm 35:14 I paced about as for my friend or brother; I was bowed down with grief, like one mourning for his mother. Psalm 38:6 I am bent and brought low; all day long I go about mourning. Treasury of Scripture 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, strong 2 Samuel 21:15-17 Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines: and David waxed faint… Psalm 90:9,10 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told… Psalm 102:23 He weakened my strength in the way; he shortened my days. and those Ecclesiastes 12:2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: Jump to Previous Bent Bow Cease Crushing Darkened Dim Dimmed Fear Few Grain Grinding Grow House Idle Keepers Mighty Ones Rest Shaking Stand Stoop Strong Themselves Tremble Unable Watchmen Windows WomenJump to Next Bent Bow Cease Crushing Darkened Dim Dimmed Fear Few Grain Grinding Grow House Idle Keepers Mighty Ones Rest Shaking Stand Stoop Strong Themselves Tremble Unable Watchmen Windows WomenEcclesiastes 12 1. the Creator is to be remembered in due time8. The preacher's care to edify 13. the fear of God is the chief antidote for vanity (3) In this verse we have a description of an afflicted and affrighted house: the servants below (keepers of the house; comp. 2Samuel 20:3) in consternation [the word for "tremble" occurs twice more in Biblical Hebrew (Esther 5:9; Habakkuk 2:7), but is common in Aramaean]; the masters (men of might, translated "able men "Exodus 18:21; Exodus 18:25; comp. "mighty in power," Job 21:7) in equal distress; so also the grinding maids below, discontinuing their work (Exodus 11:5; Isaiah 47:1-2); the ladies, who look out at the lattices (Judges 5:8; 2Samuel 5:16; Proverbs 7:6; 2Kings 9:30), forced to withdraw. (For the four classes, comp. Isaiah 24:2; Psalm 132:2.) . . . Verse 3. - The gradual decay which creeps over the body, the habitation of the spirit, is depicted under the figure of a house and its parts (comp. Job 4:19; 2 Corinthians 5:1; 2 Peter 1:13, 14). In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble; i.e. this is the case when, etc. The hands and arms are appropriately called the keepers of the house, for with them (as Volek quotes from Galen) man ὁπλίζει καὶ φρουρεῖ τὸ σῶμα παντοίως ("arms and guards his body in various ways"). The shaking and palsy of old men's limbs are thus graphically described. This would be one of the first symptoms discerned by an observer. Taking the alternative interpretation, we should see in these "keepers" the menservants who keep watch before the house. These menials are appalled by the approach of the tempest, and quake. And the strong men shall bow themselves. The "men of power" are the legs, or the bones generally, which in the young are "as pillars of marble" (Song of Solomon 5:15), but in the old become feeble, slack, and bent. Delitzsch quotes 3Macc. 4:5, where we read of a multitude of old men being driven mercilessly, "stooping from age, and dragging their feet heavily along." In this clause it is this stooping and bending of the body that is noticed, when men are no longer upright in stature, "swifter than eagles," "stronger than lions" (2 Samuel 1:23; 1 Chronicles 12:8), fit for war and active employment. It is therefore less appropriate to see in the "keepers" the legs, and in the "strong men" the arms. Otherwise, the latter are the masters, the wealthy and noble, in contradistinction to the menials before mentioned: both lords and servants are equally terrified at the approach of the tempest, or, as Wright would say, at the touch of the sickly season (see on ver. 2). And the grinders cease because they are few. The word for "grinders" is feminine (αἱ ἀλήθουσαι, "the grinding-women," Septuagint), doubtless because grinding was especially women's business (Matthew 24:41). By them are meant the teeth, as we speak of molars, though, of course, the term here applies to all the teeth; so the Greeks used the term μύλαι for the denies molares. These, becoming few in number and no longer continuous, cannot perform their office. Otherwise, the grinding-women leave their work or pause in their labors at the approach of the storm, though one does not quite see why they should be fewer than usual, unless the sickly season has prostrated most of their companions, or that many are too frightened to ply their task. Having, therefore, harder work than usual, they stop at times to recruit themselves. But the analogy rather breaks down here; one would be inclined to suppose that their decreased numbers would make them apply themselves more assiduously to their necessary occupation. As the "keepers" in the former part of the verse were slaves, so these grinders are slaves, such occupation being the lowest form of service (see Exodus 11:5; Judges 16:21; Job 31:10). Those that look out of the windows be darkened. These are the eyes that look forth from the cavities in which they are sunk; they are regarded as the windows of the bodily structure, the eyelashes or eyelids possibly being deemed the lattice of the same. Plumptre cites Cicero, ' De Nat. Deer.,' 2:140: "Sensus interpretes ac nuntii return, in capite, tamquam in arce, mirifice ad usus necessaries et facti et collocati sunt. Nam oculi, tamquam speculatores, altissimum locum obtinent; ex quo plurima conspicientes, fungantur sue munere." The dimness in the eye and the failing in the powers of sight are well expressed by the terms of the text. It is noted of Moses, as something altogether abnormal, that at a hundred and twenty years of age "his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated" (Deuteronomy 34:7). Taking the alternative interpretation, we must regard those that look out of the windows as the ladies of the house, who have no menial work to do, and employ their time in gazing idly from the lattices (comp. Judges 5:28; 2 Samuel 6:16; Proverbs 7:6). These "are darkened," they are terror-stricken, their faces gather blackness (Joel 2:6), or they retire into corners in terror of the storm. These women are parallel to "the strong men" mentioned above; so that the weather affects all of every class - men-servants and maidservants, lords and ladies. Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew on the dayבַּיּ֗וֹם (bay·yō·wm) Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 3117: A day the keepers שֹׁמְרֵ֣י (šō·mə·rê) Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct Strong's 8104: To hedge about, guard, to protect, attend to of the house הַבַּ֔יִת (hab·ba·yiṯ) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 1004: A house tremble, שֶׁיָּזֻ֙עוּ֙ (še·yā·zu·‘ū) Pronoun - relative | Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural Strong's 2111: To shake off, to agitate and the strong הֶחָ֑יִל (he·ḥā·yil) Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 2428: A force, an army, wealth, virtue, valor, strength men אַנְשֵׁ֣י (’an·šê) Noun - masculine plural construct Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person stoop, וְהִֽתְעַוְּת֖וּ (wə·hiṯ·‘aw·wə·ṯū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hitpael - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural Strong's 5791: To be bent or crooked when those grinding הַטֹּֽחֲנוֹת֙ (haṭ·ṭō·ḥă·nō·wṯ) Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine plural Strong's 2912: To grind meal, to be a, concubine cease וּבָטְל֤וּ (ū·ḇā·ṭə·lū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural Strong's 988: To desist from labor because כִּ֣י (kî) Conjunction Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction they are few, מִעֵ֔טוּ (mi·‘ê·ṭū) Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person common plural Strong's 4592: A little, fewness, a few and those watching הָרֹא֖וֹת (hā·rō·’ō·wṯ) Article | Verb - Qal - Participle - feminine plural Strong's 7200: To see through windows בָּאֲרֻבּֽוֹת׃ (bā·’ă·rub·bō·wṯ) Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine plural Strong's 699: A lattice, a window, dovecot, chimney, sluice see dimly, וְחָשְׁכ֥וּ (wə·ḥā·šə·ḵū) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural Strong's 2821: To be dark, to darken Links Ecclesiastes 12:3 NIVEcclesiastes 12:3 NLT Ecclesiastes 12:3 ESV Ecclesiastes 12:3 NASB Ecclesiastes 12:3 KJV Ecclesiastes 12:3 BibleApps.com Ecclesiastes 12:3 Biblia Paralela Ecclesiastes 12:3 Chinese Bible Ecclesiastes 12:3 French Bible Ecclesiastes 12:3 Catholic Bible OT Poetry: Ecclesiastes 12:3 In the day when the keepers (Ecclesiast. Ec Ecc Eccles.) |
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