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Jamieson, Fausset and Brown on Ecclesiastes 12:4

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. Browse this work.

Ecclesiastes12:4

4. doors--the lips, which are closely shut together as doors, by old men in eating, for, if they did not do so, the food would drop out (Job 41:14; Psa 141:3; Mi 7:5).

in the streets--that is, toward the street, "the outer doors" [Maurer and Weiss].

sound of ... grinding--The teeth being almost gone, and the lips "shut" in eating, the sound of mastication is scarcely heard.

the bird--the cock. In the East all mostly rise with the dawn. But the old are glad to rise from their sleepless couch, or painful slumbers still earlier, namely, when the cock crows, before dawn (Job 7:4) [Holden]. The least noise awakens them [Weiss].

daughters of music--the organs that produce and that enjoy music; the voice and ear.

Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, Ecclesiastes 12:4. Public domain.

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