Ecclesiastes 12:13
in Ecclesiastes 12When 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.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
This is the end of the matter; all hath been heard: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.
KJV
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
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This verse in Ecclesiastes 12
Commentary
18 notes on this verseAfter all, the sum of the great business of human life is comprised in this short sentence, on which some millions of books have been already written! Fear God, and Keep His Commandments 1. Know that He Is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 2. Reverence him; pay him adoration. 3. Love him, that you may be happy.
This site's exposition
When all has been heard
on Ecclesiastes 12:13-14
Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man, where the Hebrew reads simply this is the whole of man. The last verse answers the common fate, God will bring every deed into judgment, along with every hidden thing, the day Romans 2:16 also names.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
What could be briefer, truer, better for the soul to know? For this is all a person is—a keeper of God's commandments. Not being such, he is, so to say, nothing at all, because instead of being constantly reshaped to the image of the truth, he remains bogged down in the likeness of shadow.
"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. […]
"Fear," said he, "the Lord, and keep His commandments. For if you keep the commandments of God, you will be powerful in every action, and every one of your actions will be incomparable. For, fearing the Lord, you will do all things well. This is the fear which you ought to have, that you may be saved. But fear not the devil; for, fearing the Lord, you will have dominion over the devil, for there is no power in him. ... For fears are of two kinds: for if you do not wish to do that which is evil, fear the Lord, and you will not do it; but, again, if you wish to do that which is good, fear the Lord, and you will do it. Wherefore the fear of the Lord is strong, and great, and glorious. Fear, then, the Lord, and you will live to Him, and as many as fear Him and keep His commandments will live to God." ... "All creation fears the Lord, but all creation does not keep His commandments. They only who fear the Lord and keep His commandments have life with God; but as to those who keep not His commandments, there is no life in them."
If fear of God comes from knowledge but knowledge is going to pass away, as Paul says, then we shall be completely destroyed when there is no knowledge. All that we are will be gone, and we shall be in a state no better but much worse than irrational beings. For in knowledge we have the advantage over them, whereas in all other things pertaining to the body they surpass us by far.
"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." 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.
11 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church8 voices
A commentator
BonaventureCollationes de Septem Donis, Collation 2 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
And Solomon says: "Fear God and observe his commandments: this is the whole man," that is, the perfect man. Therefore if you wish to be perfect, fear God.
A commentator
BonaventureCommentary on Ecclesiastes, Introductory Questions · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
Concerning the method of treatment in Ecclesiastes: it has been said that he acts and speaks in diverse persons, namely that of the fool and that of the wise man. But: As it is said in Sirach 20, "a parable from the mouth of a …
A commentator
BonaventureCommentary on Ecclesiastes, Chapter 12 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
The conclusion of what has been said is touched upon. "The end of the discourse," that is, the terminus and consummation of the speech, "let us all hear together," as being useful and necessary to all. And the conclusion of all that has been said …
A commentator
Bernard of ClairvauxSermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 20 · Written before 1153.
proposed
"Fear God, and keep his commandments," it is said, "for this is the whole duty of man." So if this is all, without this, man is nothing.
Solomon's book in which these words appear is called Ecclesiastes. Translated, this name means "Preacher." Now, in preaching one expresses sentiments that tend to quiet a noisy crowd. And when there are many people holding opinions of various kinds, they are brought into harmony by the reasoning of the speaker. This book, then, is called "the Preacher" because in it Solomon makes the feelings of the disorganized people his own in order to search into and give expression to the thoughts that come to their untutored minds perhaps by the way of temptation. For the sentiments he expresses in his search are as varied as the individuals he impersonates. But, like a true preacher, he stretches out his arms at the end of his address and calms the troubled sprits of the assembled people, calling them back to one way of thinking. This we see him do at the close of the book, where he says, "Let us all hear together the conclusion of the discourse. Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."
Of those who are proud and at the same time treacherous it is said, "The foxes have dens and the birds of the air have nests." And of all people in general it is said, "And man, when he was held in esteem" (that is, …
They have been appointed to this, that is, to this made human beings by nature, that they may believe God and obey his will, as Solomon attests when he says, "Fear God and obey his commandments, for this is [the duty of] every human being." …
A commentator
BonaventureCollationes de Decem Praeceptis, Collation 2 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
A bird cannot fly without two wings, nor can a man walk without two feet. Similarly, no one can be a perfect observer of the commandments of God unless he is filled with fear and love. But man is not filled with fear except from …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
The conclusion - The sum of all that hath been said or written by wise men. Fear God - Which is put here, for all the inward worship of God, reverence, and love, and trust, and a devotedness of heart to serve and please him. The whole - It is his whole work and business, his whole perfection and happiness; it is the sum of what he need either know, or do, or enjoy.
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 well as his hearers, to attend unto.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
7:2-5), or self-mortifying avarice (Ec 8:13, 17), or youth spent without God (Ec 11:9; 12:1). this is the whole duty of man--literally, "this is the whole man," the full ideal of man, as originally contemplated, realized wholly by Jesus Christ alone; and, through Him, by saints now in part, hereafter perfectly (1Jo 3:22-24;
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
In conclusion after all has been heard, fear God. Do what you can, and let your heart be [directed] toward Heaven.
2 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
And furthermore my son be admonished. More than the uprightness of the words of truth, the words written in the aforementioned books.
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ס֥וֹף | sof | [the] end of | H5490 → | 5 times |
| דָּבָ֖ר | davar | [the] matter | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| הַכֹּ֣ל | hakol | <the> everything | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| נִשְׁמָ֑ע | nishma' | it has been heard | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הָאֱלֹהִ֤ים | haelohim | <the> God | H430 → | 2601 times |
| יְרָא֙ | yera' | fear | H3372 → | 315 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מִצְוֹתָ֣יו | mitzvotav | commandments his | H4687 → | |
| שְׁמ֔וֹר | shemor | keep | H8104 → | 468 times |
| כִּי־ | ki- | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| זֶ֖ה | zeh | this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | [is] all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הָאָדָֽם׃ | haadam | <the> humankind | H120 → | 551 times |
ס֥וֹף[the] end of
sofH5490 →5 times
דָּבָ֖ר[the] matter
davarH1697 →1440 times
הַכֹּ֣ל<the> everything
hakolH3605 →5413 times
נִשְׁמָ֑עit has been heard
nishma'H8085 →1159 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הָאֱלֹהִ֤ים<the> God
haelohimH430 →2601 times
יְרָא֙fear
yera'H3372 →315 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
מִצְוֹתָ֣יוcommandments his
mitzvotavH4687 →
שְׁמ֔וֹרkeep
shemorH8104 →468 times
כִּי־for
ki-H3588 →4482 times
זֶ֖הthis
zehH2088 →1180 times
כָּל־[is] all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
הָאָדָֽם׃<the> humankind
haadamH120 →551 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
Micah 6:8He has shown you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 10:12–13
And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your…
- Proverbs 21:3
To do righteousness and justice is more desirable to the LORD than sacrifice.
- Colossians 3:12
Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
- Jeremiah 22:3
This is what the LORD says: Administer justice and righteousness. Rescue the victim of robbery from the hand of his oppressor. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.…
- Hosea 6:6
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
- Deuteronomy 10:12–13
Through
Job 28:28And He said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
it leads to
- Proverbs 1:7
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Proverbs 9:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 111:10
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts gain rich understanding. His praise endures forever!
- Proverbs 1:7
Where this verse is studied
By subject
Obedience35 verses
Wisdom35 verses
On this page
Studies4
About Ecclesiastes
This page draws on 18 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Augustine of Hippo, City of God 20.3; Bede, Commentary on Acts 10:12; Bede, Commentary on the Catholic Epistles, 1 Peter 2:8; Bernard of Clairvaux, Sermons on the Song of Songs, Sermon 20; Bonaventure, Collationes de Septem Donis, Collation 2; Bonaventure, Commentary on Ecclesiastes, Introductory Questions; Bonaventure, Commentary on Ecclesiastes, Chapter 12; Bonaventure, Collationes de Decem Praeceptis, Collation 2; Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Ecclesiastes; Gregory the Dialogist, Dialogues, Book 4, Chapter 4; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Ecclesiastes; John Chrysostom, AGAINST THE ANOMOEANS, HOMILY 1:9; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Shepherd of Hermas, Shepherd of Hermas, Commandment 7.