A Biblical Meditation on Old Age

One of the more beautiful passages in the Old Testament is the 12th Chapter of Ecclesiastes. It is a melancholy but soulful meditation on old age. It’s poetic imagery is masterful as it draws from the increasingly difficult effects of old age such as hearing loss, fading eyesight, difficulty walking, digestive issues, even gray hair. I’d like to present it here in totality and present commentary below the text:

Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come And the years approach of which you will say, I have no pleasure in them; Before the sun is darkened. and the light, and the moon, and the stars, while the clouds return after the rain;   When the guardians of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, And the grinders are idle because they are few, and they who look through the windows grow blind;  When the doors to the street are shut, and the sound of the mill is low; When one waits for the chirp of a bird, but all the daughters of song are suppressed; 5  And one fears heights, and perils in the street; When the almond tree blooms, and the locust grows sluggish and the caper berry is without effect, Because man goes to his lasting home, and mourners go about the streets; Before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl is broken, And the pitcher is shattered at the spring, and the broken pulley falls into the well, And the dust returns to the earth as it once was, and the life breath returns to God who gave it.  Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, all things are vanity! (Ecclesiastes 12:1-8)

And now, if you will, some commentary on each verse. My comments are in red:

  1. Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come And the years approach of which you will say, I have no pleasure in them – We are advised to give thanks to God for the vigor of youth for “evil” days will come. Here evil does not mean evil in the sense of “sinfully evil.” Rather evil here means the days that are difficult and bad, days that bring challenge and pain. We might want to be thankful for living in the modern age since the burdens of old age are far less than in the ancient world. Consider all the medicines and helps that make aging less difficult. Pain medicines alleviate arthritis, calcium supplements help with osteoporosis, blood pressure meds help prevent stroke and partial paralysis, motorized scooters help mobility, eye glasses and hearing aids improve our ability to interact and so forth. But most all of this was missing in the ancient world. Age brought increasing and cumulative burdens so that our author says regarding these days,  “I have no pleasure in them.”
  2. Before the sun is darkened. and the light, and the moon, and the stars, while the clouds return after the rainHere is a poignantly poetic description of eyesight going bad. The light darkens, stars and moon are less visible (perhaps blurry) and the clouds of cataracts begin to afflict the elderly.
  3. When the guardians of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, And the grinders are idle because they are few, and they who look through the windows grow blind The “guardians of the house” are the arms, and they start to tremble with the tremors common to old age even without Parkinson’s disease. The “strong men” are the legs, and they are bent, less able to carry the weight of the body, Bent also indicate  the legs when we are seated, unable to walk. The “grinders” are the teeth and they are few! We have better dental health today, but then, it was common for the elderly to have lost many if not most of their teeth. This made it difficult to eat, requiring food to be mashed. The image of an elderly person sitting in a window looking out but growing blind is surely sad, but also vivid. I remember my Grandmother in her last years. She could no longer read much because her eyes were bad and her mind could not concentrate on the text. So she sat for hours and just looked out the window.
  4. When the doors to the street are shut, and the sound of the mill is low; When one waits for the chirp of a bird, but all the daughters of song are suppressed The “doors to the street” are the tightly compressed lips common to the very elderly, especially when teeth are missing. This also depocts how many of the elderly stop talking much. Their mouths are shut tight. The sound of the mill may be another reference to chewing. Many of the elderly lose their appetite. One the psalms says regarding the elderly “I moan like a dove and forget to eat my bread” (Psalm 102:4). Waiting for the chirp of the bird may be a reference to the silence of the elderly but it may also be a reference to deafness of the elderly who can no longer hear the singing and chirping of the birds. Something the young take for granted.
  5. And one fears heights, and perils in the street; When the almond tree blooms, and the locust grows sluggish and the caper berry is without effect, – Walking is difficult and treacherous and requires great effort for many of the elderly. Whereas the young may not think twice about a flight of stairs, the elderly my see them as insurmountable. Perils in the street like loose or upturned stones cause fear since a fall for the elderly can be devastating. They may also not be able to get up if they fall. The almond tree blooming is a symbol for gray hair since almond trees had white blooms. The caper berry had several uses in the ancient world. It was an appetite stimulant, an aphrodisiac, it also was used to treat Rheumatism!  But in old age, it would seem that the desired effects are hard to come by.
  6. Because man goes to his lasting home, and mourners go about the streets; Before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl is broken, And the pitcher is shattered at the spring, and the broken pulley falls into the well, And the dust returns to the earth as it once was, and the life breath returns to God who gave it. – And finally death comes, as symbolized by the mourners in the street, the silver cord, the golden bowl, symbols of life now snapped and broken. The broken pitcher symbolizes that the body no longer contains the soul. The pulley, a device used to lift is now broken, indicating that the body too will no longer rise from its place but falls into the well of the grave. And we return to the dust and the soul goes to God.
  7. Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, all things are vanity! – In the end, all things pass. Nothing remains. Since all things are to pass they are vain (empty). the physical world is less real than the spiritual for the physical passes but the spiritual remains. Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at God’s right hand (Col 1:3)

A sad but powerfully beautiful description of old age. I have often shared it with the very elderly and those who are suffering the ill effects of old age. I remember reading it slowly to my Father as he lay dying in his hospital room. He could no longer talk much. But as I read it to him I saw him nod and raise his hands as if to say “Amen!” Almost too as if he meant to say, “Somebody understands, God understands.” Perhaps you also know an elderly person who could benefit from this passage. I know it is sad and not everyone is in a place where they can hear such a stark and sad description. But some are in that place where they can derive peace as God, through his word, says He knows exactly what they are going through.

21 Replies to “A Biblical Meditation on Old Age”

  1. Now, now Msgr. I think you’re slightly mistaken when you associate gray hair with old age. I’m just a year shy of 50 and a flash is never needed when my hair is in a picture at night- my hair is pristine and white! Never died it, never will. I have a good laugh when I’m offered a senior citizen discount and when children share their honest curiosity in a question or comment. When my own children were younger, they said they’d never be able to find me in the carpool crowd if I dyed my hair. And it gets better. I was substituting for a fifth grade class and one of the kids innocently asked me if I had a grandchildren in the school!

    1. Yes, granted gray hair is not always an old age matter. My mother started to gray in her 30s, but used coloring to even it all out. I think gray hair is distinguished. as anon also says

  2. Msgr., Maryann: Blessed are those who still have hair to blossom like the almond tree. I’m afraid I’m not just the president of the Lost-my-hair-by-age-forty-three Club, I’m also a member.

    Cf. Isaiah 22, 12: “And the Lord, the God of hosts, in that day shall call to weeping, and to mourning, to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth.”

      1. Yes, anyhow and always praise the Lord. But verses such as Matthew 10:30 just don’t have the same impact as they used to: “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore …”

  3. ALTH;OUGH THIS IS TRUE AND I CERTAINLY AT AGE 75 CAN IDENTIFY, WHAT IS MISSING IS THE JOY I FEEL WITH THE KNOWLEDGE I HAVE. THAT THO THIS WORLD PASSES AND I MUST LET GO OF ALL I AM ON A JOURNEY. I AM GOING FORWARD TO GOD AND I CAN BARELY CONTAIN MY HOPE AT TIMES. I AM A CRADLE CATHOLIC AND HAVE LEARNED EACH DAY IN DIFFERENT WAYS THE TRUTH HOLY MOTHER THE CHURCH HAS TAUGHT ME AND TAUGHT ME WELL. THAT GOD IS ALL AND I AM IN GOD AND GOD IS IN ME AND SOON I WILL SEE HIM WHOM I LOVE FACE TO FACE AND WITH TENDER MERCY HE WILL DRAW ME TO HIM FOR EVER AND EVER. SO THESE INCONVENIENCES HERE ARE BUT FOR A MOMENT. AND PRACTICALLY SPEAKING, FOR US WHO BELIEVE THAT IS PROBABLY WHAT MOST OF US FEEL. A SENSE OF TRIUMPH THAT WITH PAUL WE HAVE FOUGHT THE GOOD FIGHT AND THE VICTORY IS OURS

    1. Yes, I am glad for your comment as a balance. Ecclesiastes is almost universally a negative account of life in this world. In the joy of the resurrection we must read it with the knowledge that God has answered Quheleth’s concerns with an empty tomb. And yet,many do expereinced the cross in old age. Many others too can testify as you do. I am only 48 but do suffer from the usual 40s stuff. And I too will testify that I would never want to be 28 again. I’ve learned too much and more alive spiritually. I am mindful too of an gospel hymn that says, “Another days journey and I’m so glad, I’m on my way to heaven.” Pray Lord that I will stay faithful.

  4. Grey? My old age shows up in silver. It mixes well with the black beard. Nice Bible quote. It could also apply in death with the silver cord snapped, the golden bowl broken, shattered picture at the well, and the broken pulley falls into the well. And dust returns to the earth, and life’s breath returns to God who gave it. Could be read at a funeral. Good reminder we are all leaving this world, and to appreciate every day and moment.

  5. Thank you Msgr Pope. Your commentary, even more than the video, brought out the poetry in the Wisdom verse, that I on my own would never have perceived. I would have been far more literal, and therefore would have missed it’s impact. As I am just going on 68, I feel I am in the moment of respite, at the turning point where I can appreciate that I have learned something from my youth, but not yet in the eighties where the beginning conditions, from arthritis to incontinence, etc. will finally have their full effect. I remember my mother who passed away several years ago at 84, and how the sudden descent in the final year made such an impact on me. So I am not going to be over-bravado that yes, I can ‘die’ my hair, (pardon pun) and with the help of cosmetics and the medicine today put off from my mind what possibilities might await a further decline. But, I am, like a lady’s comments above, grateful that I can at least feel, after many years, that I am on the way to redemption, and that faith has been given to me. Thanks also for pointing out that the Wisdom quotes can be viewed as a little pessimistic, but also, they are a reminder that, yes, as far as the world goes, all is indeed vanity, and that is why we turn to God. Thanks again. Good post!

  6. I give thanks to our Lord God for helping me age with a wonderful wife, children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren after pulling me through a terrible war. I look forward to when He returns to take us home.

  7. Excellent article as always, thank you for writing all this informative content on a regular basis.

  8. Hey webmaster, superb article. I’d like to copy some of the article on my blog – I hope you don’t mind if I post a url back?

  9. Just happened upon your website and love it. I work with mmLearn.org a program of Morningside Ministries in San Antonio, Texas with a focus on training and education caregivers of older adults. I’m doing some research on spirituality and aging and how it affects our church and then attempt to meet with our new Archbishop to see what we can do to support our elderly population. I absolutely loved your comments on this meditation. Any suggetions you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

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