Biblical Hebrew Forum

["K Randolph" <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

Well, Pere, the answer is "Yes".
I see the verse as describing #2 as a symbolic reference to #1.

The understanding that this section, verses 1–7, refers to old age and death
is predicated on the understanding that each of these pictures, while
describing other actions, are symbolically referring to the loss of strength
that accompanies aging to the complete stop as in death. The final picture
being in verse seven, that the dust settles back down on the earth as the
wind that was blowing it stopped as a symbolic reference to a body ceasing
to move upon death as the spirit leaves.

Does this answer your question?

Karl W. Randolph.

On Sun, Mar 23, 2008 at 10:03 PM, <pporta AT oham.net> wrote:

> As I said, I'm reading Qohelet chapter 12 (a beautiful text!) and I wish
> today ask for the advice of this list members as to the meaning of verse
> 2.
> This verse writes on the sun, the light, the moon, the stars becoming dark
> and the clouds being coming back after the rain.
>
> 1. Is the author describing here the loss of faculties most old people
> suffer,
> mainly the loss of sight  --which is so common as one gets old-- so that
> the
> person does not see the light anymore?
>
> 2. Or is the author rather describing a rain scenery or a rain incident (a
> sort of rainstorm, not necessarily a thunderbolted one)?
>
> It happens  --and I myself saw it sometimes in this northerneast corner of
> Spain where I stay --  that at a given moment the sky begins to become
> darker and darker, nearly black... a lead screen covers it --so that every
> natural light almost desappears--  and after a few minutes a thick rain -a
> heavy shower-  begins to fall down...   This can last a half an hour (or a
> little less or a little more) and then... slowly the sky gets blue again
> and
> white clouds come back...
>
> I think myself that 2 is more logical for the inner coherence of text.
>
> What do you think?
>
> Pere Porta
> (Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain)
>
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