In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,
Parallel translations
- WEB in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those who look out of the windows are darkened,
- BSB on the day the keepers of the house tremble and the strong men stoop, when those grinding cease because they are few and those watching through windows see dimly,
- NKJV In the day when the keepers of the house tremble, And the strong men bow down; When the grinders cease because they are few, And those that look through the windows grow dim;
- NASB on the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and strong men are bent over, the grinders stop working because they are few, and those who look through windows grow dim;
- NLT Remember him before your legs—the guards of your house—start to tremble; and before your shoulders—the strong men—stoop. Remember him before your teeth—your few remaining servants—stop grinding; and before your eyes—the women looking through the windows—see dimly.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The Preacher pictures the frailty of old age, as the body's strength, mobility, and senses begin to fail. It urges us to remember our Creator before these days arrive.
Overview
Continuing the allegory of aging begun in 12:1, this verse is commonly read as a poetic portrait of a declining body: trembling arms ("keepers"), stooping legs ("strong men"), failing teeth ("grinders"), and dimming eyes ("those who look out of the windows"). Ecclesiastes presses the reality that bodily vigor is fleeting, urging readers to seek God in their strength rather than waiting for weakness. This sobering honesty about mortality points beyond itself to the resurrection hope secured in Christ, who alone conquers the decay sin brought into the world.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Ps 90:9–10For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.
- Ps 102:23He weakened my strength in the way; he shortened my days.
- 1 Sam 3:2And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;
- Gen 27:1And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.
- Gen 48:10Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.
- Zech 8:4Thus saith the LORD of hosts; There shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every man with his staff in his hand for very age.
- 2 Sam 21:15–17Moreover the Philistines had yet war again with Israel; and David went down, and his servants with him, and fought against the Philistines: and David waxed faint.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The search that finds everything 'under the sun' to be vapor exposes the emptiness of life without God and drives us to the one who alone gives meaning, the resurrection that makes our labor not in vain.
How Ecclesiastes 12:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.