Ecclesiastes 12:6 (KJV)

Passage

Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 12:4 And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;

Ecclesiastes 12:5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:

Ecclesiastes 12:6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

Ecclesiastes 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Ecclesiastes 12:8 Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "ever", "silver", "cord", "loosed", "golden", "bowl", "broken", and "pitcher". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "ever" and "silver", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "Also when they shall be afraid of..." into verse 7's "Then shall the dust return to the...", so "ever" and "silver" 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 "ever" and "silver" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.