Ecclesiastes 12:14
in Ecclesiastes 12For God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
KJV
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
⋯
This verse in Ecclesiastes 12
Commentary
10 notes on this verseA commentator
Athanasius of Alexandria296–373
Discourses Against the Arians 2.14.6 · Written before 373.
Consider how grave an error it is to call God's Word a work. Solomon says in one place in Ecclesiastes that "God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil." If then the Word is a work, do you mean that he as well as others will be brought into judgment? And what room is there for judgment, when the Judge is on trial?
This site's exposition
the conclusion of the whole matter
on Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
The book files its own verdict: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man, where the Hebrew reads simply this is the whole of man, the sum of what a man is for, as the commentators note. The fear of God has run under the search the whole way (3:14, 5:7, 7:18, 8:12), so the conclusion gathers a thread rather than reversing a book. The last verse answers the leveler that haunted every chapter: one event happened to all under the sun, but God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, and the bench sets Paul's day when God shall judge the secrets of men (Rom 2:16) beside it by name.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
A commentator
Apostolic ConstitutionsCONSTITUTIONS OF THE HOLY APOSTLES · Written before 380.
proposed
Nor is a resurrection declared only for the martyrs, but for all persons, righteous and unrighteous, godly and ungodly, that everyone may receive according to his desert. For God, says the Scripture, "will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil." .
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. "The Hebrews say that although it used to be among other writings of Solomon in the past, they have not persisted in memory; and this book seems as if it ought to have been omitted, because it asserts that all God's creations are vain and that he thinks everything is done for nothing, and he prefers food and drink and transient pleasures to all things; thus he takes his authority from this one title, so it is now included in the number of divine books, because he argues well and lists many things like "anakephaiosei, "and he said that his speeches are the easiest to hear, and to understand; let us therefore fear God and carry out his commandments. For man is born for this purpose and, understanding his Creator, he reveres Him in fear and respect, and in the work of his commandments. And when the time of judgement comes whatever we have done will stand before the judge and for a long time we will await our judgement which could go one way or the other, and we will receive our just rewards, whether they be good or bad. But where we read, "with every secret thing", Symmachus and the Septuagint have interpreted, "from all contempt", or even "from all unknown", which even brought by reluctant words, not by will, but by ignorance, we will be returned to reason in the day of our judgement. Differently: since fear is more appropriate to slaves, and perfect love involves no fear, and fear in the divine Scripture is used to denote those embarking on and those completing education [Cfr. I. Ioh. 4, 18.]. Now I think he talks about the fear inherent in virtues, according to the passage, which says, "nothing is lacking from those who fear Him" [Ps. […]
Nor is a resurrection declared only for the martyrs, but for all persons, righteous and unrighteous, godly and ungodly, that everyone may receive according to his desert. For God, says the Scripture, "will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be …
The Medieval Church1 voice
A commentator
BonaventureCommentary on Ecclesiastes, Chapter 12 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
And the reason why God is to be feared and His commandments are to be observed is this: because He will demand an account of all things, whether of good or of evil. Therefore he adds: "And God will bring all things that are done …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
9 ), and here for a religious life: God shall bring every work into judgment. There is a judgment to come, in which every man's eternal state will be finally determined. God himself will be the Judge, God-man will, not only because he has a right to judge, but because he is perfectly fit for it, infinitely wise and just.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number+unbalanced-parens
3 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
For God shall bring every work into judgment,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
For God shall bring every work into judgment - This is the reason why we should “fear God and keep his commandments.” 1. Because there will be a day of judgment. 2. Every soul of man shall stand at that bar. 3. God, the infinitely wise, the heart-searching God, will be judge. 4. He will bring to light every secret thing - all that has been done since the creation, by all men; whether forgotten or registered; whether done in secret or in public.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
For God shall bring every work into judgment--The future judgment is the test of what is "vanity," what solid, as regards the chief good, the grand subject of the book.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
For every deed. That a person performs, God will bring to judgment. 58 Just as God does not allow any good deed, small as it may be, to go without reward, so too, He does not permit any bad deed, however small, to go without judgment.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
In conclusion after all has been heard, fear God. Do what you can, and let your heart be [directed] toward Heaven.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 1 further source is cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
14 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּ֤י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| מַֽעֲשֶׂ֔ה | maaseh | deed | H4639 → | 236 times |
| הָאֱלֹהִ֛ים | haelohim | <the> God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| יָבִ֥א | yavi' | he will bring | H935 → | 2568 times |
| בְמִשְׁפָּ֖ט | vemishpat | in judgment | H4941 → | 422 times |
| עַ֣ל | ʾal | with | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| נֶעְלָ֑ם | ne'lam | hidden thing | H5956 → | |
| אִם־ | ʾim- | whether | H518 → | 1069 times |
| ט֖וֹב | tov | good | H2896 → | 538 times |
| וְאִם־ | veim- | and or | H518 → | 1069 times |
| רָֽע׃ | ra' | evil | H7451 → | 662 times |
כִּ֤יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
כָּל־every
kol-H3605 →5413 times
מַֽעֲשֶׂ֔הdeed
maasehH4639 →236 times
הָאֱלֹהִ֛ים<the> God
haelohimH430 →2601 times
יָבִ֥אhe will bring
yavi'H935 →2568 times
בְמִשְׁפָּ֖טin judgment
vemishpatH4941 →422 times
עַ֣לwith
ʾalH5921 →5755 times
כָּל־every
kol-H3605 →5413 times
נֶעְלָ֑םhidden thing
ne'lamH5956 →
אִם־whether
ʾim-H518 →1069 times
ט֖וֹבgood
tovH2896 →538 times
וְאִם־and or
veim-H518 →1069 times
רָֽע׃evil
ra'H7451 →662 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Matthew 12:36But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.
it leads to
- Romans 2:16
on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Christ Jesus, as proclaimed by my gospel.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Romans 2:16
Through
2 Corinthians 5:10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad.
it leads to
- Matthew 16:27
For the Son of Man will come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will repay each one according to what he has done.
- Revelation 22:12
“Behold, I am coming soon, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to what he has done.
- Ephesians 6:8
because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
- Psalms 62:12
and loving devotion to You, O Lord. For You will repay each man according to his deeds.
- Romans 2:5–10
But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
- Matthew 16:27
Through
1 Corinthians 4:5Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each…
it leads to
- James 5:7
Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains.
- 2 Corinthians 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad.
- James 5:7
Where this verse is studied
By subject
Judgment35 verses
On this page
About Ecclesiastes
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Apostolic Constitutions, CONSTITUTIONS OF THE HOLY APOSTLES; Athanasius of Alexandria, Discourses Against the Arians 2.14.6; Bonaventure, Commentary on Ecclesiastes, Chapter 12; Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Ecclesiastes; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ecclesiastes; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Nilus of Sinai, CONSTITUTIONS OF THE HOLY APOSTLES 5:1.7.