Ecclesiastes 12:1 (DRB)

Passage

Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the time of affliction come, and the years draw nigh of which thou shalt say: They please me not:

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 12:1 Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the time of affliction come, and the years draw nigh of which thou shalt say: They please me not:

Ecclesiastes 12:2 Before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars be darkened, and the clouds return after the rain:

Ecclesiastes 12:3 When the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall stagger, and the grinders shall be idle in a small number, and they that look through the holes shall be darkened:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "remember", "creator", "days", "youth", "before", "time", "affliction", and "come". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "remember" and "creator", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "Before the sun and the light and...", so "remember" and "creator" should be read forward into that movement. In Ecclesiastes context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

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