Ecclesiastes 12:7 Meaning and Explanation
“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →At death the body returns to the dust of the earth, while the spirit returns to God who gave it.
What Does Ecclesiastes 12:7 Mean?
Here the poem on death reaches its plainest statement. The Preacher echoes the language of creation, where man was formed of the dust of the ground: now the dust returns to the earth, and the spirit goes back to the God who gave it.
Body and spirit part at death, the one to the ground from which it was taken, the other to the God who is its source. This is no cold ending but a return, a homecoming of the spirit to the One from whom it came. The God who gave the spirit has not lost it, and in Christ that God promises that even the dust shall not have the final word.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 in the Original Language
ruach (רוּחַ), 'spirit' -- breath or spirit, the life-giving breath that returns to God who first gave it.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ecclesiastes 12:7
What does Ecclesiastes 12:7 mean?
At death the body returns to the dust of the earth, while the spirit returns to God who gave it.