Bible/Ecclesiastes/12

Ecclesiastes 12:14

12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. Let: or, The end of the matter, even all that hath been heard, is
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

KJV

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For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.

For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

What does Ecclesiastes 12:14 mean?

Ecclesiastes 12:14 is a verse in the book of Ecclesiastes, in the Old Testament. In the original Hebrew, key words include אֱלֹהִים (ʼĕlôhîym), בּוֹא (bôwʼ), מַעֲשֶׂה (maʻăseh). It connects to 8 cross-referenced passages elsewhere in Scripture.

Hebrew interlinear

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For
Godאֱלֹהִיםʼĕlôhîym/el-o-heem'/H430gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative
shall
bringבּוֹאbôwʼ/bo/H935to go or come (in a wide variety of applications)
every
workמַעֲשֶׂהmaʻăseh/mah-as-eh'/H4639an action (good or bad); generally, a transaction; abstractly, activity; by implication, a product (specifically, a poem) or (generally) property
into
judgment,מִשְׁפָּטmishpâṭ/mish-pawt'/H4941properly, a verdict (favorable or unfavorable) pronounced judicially, especially a sentence or formal decree (human or (participant's) divine law, individual or collective), including the act, the place, the suit, the crime, and the penalty; abstractly, justice, including a participant's right or privilege (statutory or customary), or even a style
with
every
secret
thing,עָלַםʻâlam/aw-lam'/H5956to veil from sight, i.e. conceal (literally or figuratively)
whether
it
be
good,טוֹבṭôwb/tobe/H2896good (as an adjective) in the widest sense; used likewise as a noun, both in the masculine and the feminine, the singular and the plural (good, a good or good thing, a good man or woman; the good, goods or good things, good men or women), also as an adverb (well)
or
whether
it
be
evil.רַעraʻ/rah/H7451bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral)

Commentary on Ecclesiastes 12:14

HENRY_FULL · Ecclesiastes 12:14
vents. 51 The proud have had me greatly in derision: yet have I not declined from thy law. David here tells us, and it will be of use to us to know it, 1. That he had been jeered for his religion. Though he was a man of honour, a man of great prudence, and had done eminent services to his country, yet, because he was a devout conscientious man, the proud had him greatly in derision; they ridiculed him, bantered him, and did all they could to expose him to contempt; they laughed at him for his praying, and called it cant, for his seriousness, and called it mopishness, for his strictness, and called it needless preciseness. They were the proud that sat in the scorner's seat and valued themselves on so doing. 2. That yet he had not been jeered out of his religion: "They have done all they could to make me quit it for shame, but none of these things move me:

Cross-references

Related passages from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

Exodus 14:29

But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.

Exodus 14:30

Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore.

Numbers 16:3

And they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the LORD? Ye take: Heb. It is much for you

Deuteronomy 1:35

Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers,

Deuteronomy 1:36

Save Caleb the son of Jephunneh; he shall see it, and to him will I give the land that he hath trodden upon, and to his children, because he hath wholly followed the LORD. wholly: Heb. fulfilled to go after

Deuteronomy 4:3

Your eyes have seen what the LORD did because of Baalpeor: for all the men that followed Baalpeor, the LORD thy God hath destroyed them from among you.

Deuteronomy 4:4

But ye that did cleave unto the LORD your God are alive every one of you this day.

2 Peter 2:4

For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

Topics

InvestigationSecretWorks, Good

Verses like this

Other verses that share key original-language words with Ecclesiastes 12:14.

Genesis 2:9

And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Exodus 28:15

And thou shalt make the breastplate of judgment with cunning work; after the work of the ephod thou shalt make it; of gold, of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine twined linen, shalt thou make it.

Genesis 1:10

And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:12

And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:18

And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:21

And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:25

And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:31

And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Frequently asked questions

What does Ecclesiastes 12:14 say?

Ecclesiastes 12:14 (King James Version) reads: "For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."

Is Ecclesiastes 12:14 in the Old or New Testament?

Ecclesiastes 12:14 is in the Old Testament of the Bible, in the book of Ecclesiastes.

Reflect

As you read Ecclesiastes 12:14, what is one truth here you can carry into today?

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