The days when a person is old and near death, when he has no more pleasure in living.

In man’s old age, the bright environment, with the three lights created by God and the artificial lights made by man, becomes gloomy, and the pleasant atmosphere of the clear sky is cloudy. The hands (the keepers of the house — man’s body — cf. 2 Cor. 5:1-8) tremble (v. 3a); the loins (the men of strength) are bent (v. 3b); the teeth (the women who grind) become few (v. 3c); the eyes (those who look out of the windows) become dim (v. 3d); and the ears become dull to sound (v. 4a). One awakens early in the morning (v. 4b); the vocal cords (the daughters of song) become low (v. 4c); and one is afraid of what is high (v. 5a) and is terrified while walking (v. 5b). The hair becomes white (the almond tree blossoms — v. 5c), and one is unable to bear any burden, even a burden as small as a grasshopper (v. 5d). No medicine can keep the old man away from death, and mourners attend his funeral (v. 5e). The corpse — the spinal cord (the silver cord), the head (the golden bowl), the lungs (the pitcher), and the heart (the wheel) — decays (v. 6). The body made of dust returns to the earth, and the breath returns to God who gave it (v. 7; Gen. 2:7). This indicates that the entire human being with his human life apart from God is nothing but vanity of vanity (v. 8).

The writer’s concluding word leads men to fear God that God may eventually show them His New Testament economy concerning the producing of His church, the Body of Christ, which consummates in the New Jerusalem as God’s eternal enlargement and expression.

God will judge men living in the present age in relation to their deeds, even every secret thing, according to whether it is good or evil, and He will judge the unbelieving dead at His great white throne in relation to their eternal destiny (Rev. 20:11-15).