Ecclesiastes 12:13 (ASV)

Passage

[This is] the end of the matter; all hath been heard: fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole [duty] of man.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 12:11 The words of the wise are as goads; and as nails well fastened are [the words of] the masters of assemblies, [which] are given from one shepherd.

Ecclesiastes 12:12 And furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

Ecclesiastes 12:13 [This is] the end of the matter; all hath been heard: fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole [duty] of man.

Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "matter", "hath", "been", "heard", "fear", "keep", "commandments", and "whole". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "matter" and "hath", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "And furthermore my son be admonished of..." into verse 14's "For God will bring every work into...", so "matter" and "hath" belong inside that flow. In Ecclesiastes context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "matter" and "hath" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.