Ecclesiastes 12:1

So remember ¹  your Creator in the days of your youth – before ²  the difficult ³  days come, and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”;

Ge 39:2,8,9,23; 1Sa 1:28; 1Sa 2:18,26; 1Sa 3:19-21; 1Sa 16:7,12,13,; 1Sa 17:36,37; 2Sa 19:35; 1Ki 3:6-12; 1Ki 14:13; 1Ki 18:12; 2Ch 34:2,3; Job 30:2; Ps 22:9,10; Ps 34:11; Ps 71:17,18; Ps 90:10; Pr 8:17; Pr 22:6; Ec 11:8; Ec 11:10; Isa 26:8; La 3:27; Da 1:8,9,17; Ho 7:9; Lu 1:15; Lu 2:40-52; Lu 18:16; Eph 6:4; 2Ti 3:15

¹ tn The imperative זְכֹר (zekhor, “Remember!”) is a figurative expression (metonymy of association) for obeying God and acknowledging his lordship over one’s life (e.g., Num 15:40; Deut 8:18; Pss 42:6-7; 63:6-8; 78:42; 103:18; 106:7; 119:52, 55; Jer 51:50; Ezek 20:43; Jonah 2:7; Mal 4:4). The exhortation to fear God and obey his commands in 12:13-14 spells out what it means to “remember” God.

² tn The temporal adjective עַד (’ad, “before”) appears three times in 12:1-7 (vv. 1b, 2a, 6a). Likewise, the temporal preposition בְּ (bet, “when”) is repeated (vv. 3a, 4b). These seven verses comprise one long sentence in Hebrew: The main clause is 12:1a (“Remember your Creator in the days of your youth”), while 12:1b-7 consists of five subordinate temporal clauses (“before…before…when…when…before…”).

³ tn The adjective רָעָה (ra’ah, “evil”) does not refer here to ethical evil, but to physical difficulty, injury, pain, deprivation and suffering (e.g., Deut 31:17, 21; 32:23; 1 Sam 10:19; Neh 1:3; 2:17; Pss 34:20; 40:13; 88:4; 107:26; Eccl 11:10; Jer 2:27; Lam 3:38); see HALOT 1263 s.v. רָעָה 4.b; BDB 949 s.v. רָעָה 2.