Also of that which is high they are afraid, And of the low places in the way, And the almond-tree is despised, And the grasshopper is become a burden, And want is increased, For man is going unto his home age-during, And the mourners have gone round through the street.
Ecclesiastes 12:3 In the day that keepers of the house tremble, And men of strength have bowed themselves, And grinders have ceased, because they have become few. And those looking out at the windows have become dim,
Ecclesiastes 12:4 And doors have been shut in the street. When the noise of the grinding is low, And <FI>one<Fi> riseth at the voice of the bird, And all daughters of song are bowed down.
Ecclesiastes 12:5 Also of that which is high they are afraid, And of the low places in the way, And the almond-tree is despised, And the grasshopper is become a burden, And want is increased, For man is going unto his home age-during, And the mourners have gone round through the street.
Ecclesiastes 12:6 While that the silver cord is not removed, And the golden bowl broken, And the pitcher broken by the fountain, And the wheel broken at the well.
Ecclesiastes 12:7 And the dust returneth to the earth as it was, And the spirit returneth to God who gave it.
The verse centers on "high", "afraid", "places", "almond-tree", "despised", "grasshopper", "become", and "burden". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "high" and "afraid", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 4's "And doors have been shut in the..." into verse 6's "While that the silver cord is not...", so "high" and "afraid" 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 "high" and "afraid" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.