Ecclesiastes 12:5

"Furthermore, men are afraid of. high place and of terrors on the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags himself along, and the caperberry is ineffective. For man goes to his eternal home while mourners go about in the street."

"afraid of. high place and of terrors on the road" -the 'high place' would include. steep place. The aged are often afraid of falling, especially of breaking. hip. "An old man's fear of falling or being jostled, now that he is unsteady and slow-moving" (Kidner p. 103). "Terrors on the road" would include all sorts of fears which are associated with getting out. Narrow and crowded streets, the danger of being pushed or knocked down, obstacles over which one could easily stumble, or just the difficulty in walking.

This points to. very real fear that the aged have of venturing out. The aged realize that they are vulnerable. Often criminals specifically prey on the aged. And nothing has really changed. Even in modern times, the aged often are very concerned about their personal security, are afraid of venturing out, only drive during the daytime or when traffic is light, go to the store before the crowds hit, etc…Often these fears will dictate how they plan each day.

"the almond tree blossoms" -when the almond tree blossoms, it is filled with while blossoms. "The almond tree first puts forth light, pink blossoms which turn snowy white before falling from the limbs to the ground" (Kidwell p. 279). This appears refer to the hair changing from. dark color to gray or white.

"the grasshopper drags himself along" -"speaks of the body being bent and one's walk being slowed; the grasshopper, normally moving about quickly, is an apt figure of the past liveliness of one's childhood and youth" (Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 1005).

"the caperberry is ineffective" -"the Desire shall fail" (ASV). The caperberry was highly regarded as. stimulus to appetite and as an aphrodisiac. The flower bud of this berry has been used since antiquity as. spice. This appears to refer to. loss of appetite, whether for food, or. loss of sexual desire.

"For man goes to his eternal home while mourners go about in the street" -And our eternal home can either be comfort or torment (Matthew 25:46). While life here is temporary and fleeting, eternity is permanent! The verse also seems to reveal the ineffectiveness of human power. All that we can do when. person dies is mourn, we are completely helpless in the face of death. Clearly, we must reject the view of those who claim that the writer of Ecclesiastes didn't believe in an afterlife.