Ecclesiastes 12:6

“Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.”

King James Version (KJV)

Other Translations of Ecclesiastes 12:6

“Or euer the siluer corde be loosed, or the golden bowle be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountaine, or the wheele broken at the cisterne.”
King James Version (1611) - View original scan of Ecclesiastes chapter 12

“{Remember Him} before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed;”
New American Standard Version (1995)

“before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern,”
American Standard Version (1901)

“Before ever the silver cord is cut, or the vessel of gold is broken, or the pot is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the water-hole;”
Basic English Bible

“-- before the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be shattered at the fountain, or the wheel be broken at the cistern;”
Darby Bible

“Before the silver cord be broken, and the golden fillet shrink back, and the pitcher be crushed at the fountain, and the wheel be broken upon the cistern, ”
Douay Rheims Bible

“Or ever the silver cord shall be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. ”
Webster's Bible

“before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the spring, or the wheel broken at the cistern,”
World English Bible

“While that the silver cord is not removed, And the golden bowl broken, And the pitcher broken by the fountain, And the wheel broken at the well.”
Youngs Literal Bible

“ Before the silver cord is snapped asunder, and the golden bowl is shattered, and the pitcher is broken at the fountain, and the wheel falleth shattered, into the pit;”
Jewish Publication Society Bible

Rodion Ponomariev's comment on 2015-08-07 12:10:01:

Ecclesiastes 12:6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

WILLIAM HOLDEN's comment on 2014-12-06 21:39:13:

Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. This verse is directly relating to how Jesus, between the time of His crucifixion and resurrection descended into the lower parts of the earth, Ephesians 4 9 where the faithful from Adam up to Jesus 's crucifixion were being held captive by the evil powers and proceeded with is mentioned in Ecclesiastes 12 6. And, from there, spirits of the deceased were no longer taken captive by the evil powers but returned to God as mentioned in the next verse.

Anonymous's comment on 2013-10-09 01:25:41:

Solomon clearly doesn't believe in death, but rather a spiritual transition, a separation from the physical body. He understands that he is not his body, and that his body, although a marvelous wonder, will return to the dust from which it was made.

All of these references are allusions to that transition.

The silver cord tethers the spirit to the body, and may very well function as an umbilical cord from which your body is quickened by the spirit.

Now he references parts of a metaphor that he feels doesn't require an explanation.

The golden bowl would be the vessel from which you drink. The pitcher is used to transfer the water from the well to the bowl, and the wheel at the cistern grants you the ability to draw from the well to fill the pitcher.

The metaphor is about drawing on the waters of life (spiritual refreshment) that you receive from God. Almost certainly the same waters Christ mentions to the woman at the well.

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