39 matching verse commentaries
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. This will happen to us all, either to return to dust or else return to God. Whether we die, and return to dust, or live until the coming of Christ, our spirit shall return to God who gave it. May the return be a joyous one for each of us!
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher,.... The wise man, or preacher, set out in the beginning of the book with this doctrine, or proposition, which he undertook to prove; and now having proved it by an induction of particulars, instanced in the wisdom, wealth, honours, pleasures, and profit of men, and shown the vanity of them, and that the...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity. This seems to be the conclusion to which Solomon came by the experiment of his own life, as well as by the teaching of God. This Book of Ecclesiastes begins thus: “The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity. And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; Yes, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth. The words of the wise are as...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And moreover,.... Or "besides" (z) what has been said; or "as to what remains" (a); or "but what is better", or "more excellent" (b), is to "hear the conclusion of the whole matter", the sum and substance of the whole book in a few words, Ecclesiastes 12:13; to which Ecclesiastes 12:9; are a preface; and in which the wise man recommends the...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs. That man is not fit to teach who does not give good heed, and set his words in order. He who says whatever comes first into his mind, only gives out chaff which the wind driveth away. But he who...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
The preacher sought to find out acceptable words,.... Not mere words, fine and florid ones, the words which man's wisdom teacheth, an elegant style, or eloquent language; not but that it is proper for a preacher to seek out and use words suitable and apt to convey right ideas to the minds of men of what he says; but doctrines are rather here...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: The Hebrew expression means words of delight, for words that delight the ear may help to win the heart, and so prove to be “acceptable words.”
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
And that which was written was upright, even words of truth. The words of the wise are as goods, and as nails fastened by the Masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd. The true preacher’s words pierce us like the sharp ox-goads pierce the cattle, but they are also like nails that are driven into the wood, and clinched so that they...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
The words of the wise [are] as goads,.... As the goad teacheth the ox; so the Targum. Not the words of the wise philosophers of that age, or of ages before, or since; but of the inspired penmen of the Scriptures, as Moses, David, Solomon, and of others since; and of all good men, whose doctrines are agreeably to them; these are like "goads" or...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
And as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd. The words of the wise are driven home, like nails, and clinched. There is one Shepherd who, by means of his servants’ words, leads his flock where he would have them go.
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
And further, by these, my son, be admonished,.... Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, may be intended, for whose sake, more especially, this book might be written; though it may take in every hearer of this divine preacher, every disciple of this teacher, every subject of his kingdom, as well as every reader of this book, whom he thus addresses, and for...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there in no end: and much study is a weariness of the flesh. That is what Solomon said, and he had never seen the British Museum, or the Bodleian and other noted libraries, for, if he had done so, he would have said, with an emphasis, “There is no end,” for the books of his day...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the duty of man. Or, “this is the whole of man.” It makes a man of him when he fears God and keeps his commandments; he has...
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter,.... Or "the end" (o) of it. The sum and substance of it, what it all tends to and issues in; even the whole of what is contained in this book, and in all offer divinely inspired writings of Solomon or others; of all that were now written, or before, or since: this the preacher calls upon himself, as...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. Reverent walking before the Most High; reconciliation to him so that we can thus walk and thus live, and all this proved by a life of obedience to his commandments: “This is the whole duty of man.”
John Gill - Exposition - John Gill
For God shall bring every work into judgment,.... Not in this life, but in the day of the great judgment, as the Targum explains it; that is, whatever has been done by men, from the beginning of the world, or will be to the end; all being observed and taken notice of by the omniscient God, who has registered them in the book of his remembrance,...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. Notice that expression, “every secret thing.” It is not merely our public actions that God will judge, else might we be more at our ease; but he takes account of our most private thoughts, words, deeds, and intents. Who among us can...
Spurgeon - Verse Expositions - Charles H. Spurgeon
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. Depend upon it that it will be so. At the last great day, there will be a revelation of everything, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. Nor need the righteous fear that revelation, for they will only magnify in that day the...