Ecclesiastes 12:8-12

Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.

A summary of the first part.

Vanity of vanities. Resumption of the sentiment with which the book began (Ecclesiastes 1:2; 1 John 2:17).

Verse 9. Because the Preacher was wise ... yea, he gave good heed - Hebrew, 'izeen (H238); literally, he weighed, or else 'listened,' namely, to the voice of the Spirit, which spake by him (Psalms 49:4).

Proverbs - `parables' (1 Kings 4:32). The preacher does not praise himself as "wise" in earthly wisdom, which Proverbs 27:2 would forbid. It is by the Spirit's direction he claims, attention to his words as not his own, but those of God, who had inspired him (Ecclesiastes 12:11). The 'teaching the people' seems to have been oral; the "proverbs," in writing. There must, then, have been auditories assembled to hear the inspired wisdom of the Preacher. (See the explanation of 'Koheleth,' in the Introduction and Ecclesiastes 1:1.)

Verse 10. Acceptable words - literally, words of delight; namely, to the spiritually-minded (Psalms 19:10).

(That which was) written (was) upright (literally, uprightness) (even) words of truth - words corresponding at once with the thought of the writer, and divinely adapted to express the reality of the things (Proverbs 8:6): unerring wisdom and truth. "Acceptable" means a divinely suitable style; "upright ... truth," correct sentiment.

Verse 11. Words of the wise (those inspired with wisdom from above) (are) as goads - piercing deeply into the mind, evidently inspired words, as the end of the verse proves.

Nails fastened - rather, 'and as nails fastened' (literally, planted. the plural feminine is treated as a masculine, and is joined with the masculine), are 'the masters of collections,' or 'participators in the collection,' thus joint-authors of the collected canonical Scriptures.

Given from one shepherd - namely, the Spirit of Jesus Christ, the chief (Ezekiel 37:24) Shepherd (1 Peter 5:2). This assigns the reason of the goad-like power of the inspired words of the several authors of Scripture-namely, because they come from the Lord of all power. The 'associates in the collection' were 'given' by Him, (Ephesians 4:11, "He gave some ... pastors," etc.) The Word of God is the tender grass that feeds the Lord's sheep. Though the associated sacred writers are many, the Inspirer of them all is "ONE" - the loving Shepherd who tends His Church (Genesis 48:15). Nails are used in a different symbolical sense (Isaiah 22:23).

Verse 12. My son. The Spirit admonishes us as a Father.

By these ... be admonished - by this book, and by the rest of Scripture, of which it is a part. Suffer thyself to be admonished (Ecclesiastes 4:13; Ezekiel 3:21).

Many books (there is) no end - of mere human compositions, especially the literature of the godless and the pagan world, opposed to "by these." These inspired writings are the only sure source of 'admonition.'

Much study - in mere human books, wearies the body, without solidly profiting the soul. Worldly learning does not solve the enigma of human life; as to the highest questions, it keeps even its thoughtful votaries "ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." The literature of pagandom was a mere Sisyphus labour; it brought no true gain to the 'God-descended spirit' (Hengstenberg). Diodorus (1: 49) mentions the pretentious inscription over the sacred library at Thebes, 'Pharmacy of the soul.'