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Ecclesiastes 11:7-8

The Pulpit Commentary on Ecclesiastes 11:7-8

The Pulpit Commentary · Joseph S. Exell and contributors · Public domain

Carpe diem: memento mori; or, here and hereafter contrasted.

I. HERE, A SCENE OF LIGHT; HEREAFTER, A PLACE OF DARKNESS. Under the Old Testament the abode of departed spirits was usually conceived of as a realm from which the light of day was excluded, or only dimly admitted (, ).

II. HERE, A GARDEN OF DELIGHT; HEREAFTER, A WILDERNESS OF VANITY. Life beneath the sun, even to the most miserable, has pleasures which are wanting to the bodiless inhabitants of the underworld ().

III. HERE, A PERIOD OF FEW DAYS; HEREAFTER, A TERM OF MANY. At the longest, man's duration upon earth is short (; ); in comparison, his continuance in the narrow house, or in the unseen world, will he long.

LESSONS.

1. Enjoy life heartily, as a good gift of God.

2. Use life wisely, in preparation for the world to come.

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