Ecclesiastes 12:4

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

and the doors shall be shut in the street; when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall rise up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;

Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וְסֻגְּר֤וּ דְלָתַ֙יִם֙ בַּשּׁ֔וּק בִּשְׁפַ֖ל ק֣וֹל הַֽטַּחֲנָ֑ה וְיָקוּם֙ לְק֣וֹל הַצִּפּ֔וֹר וְיִשַּׁ֖חוּ כָּל־בְּנ֥וֹת הַשִּֽׁיר׃

Transliteration

Wə-suggərû dəlātayim ba-šûq bi-špal qôl ha-ṭaḥănāh wə-yāqûm lə-qôl ha-ṣippôr wə-yiššaḥû kāl-bənôt ha-šîr

Grammar Details

*suggərû*: pual perfect, 3rd person plural - they are closed/shut
*dəlātayim*: noun, feminine dual - double doors/gates
*šûq*: noun, masculine singular - street/marketplace
*špal*: infinitive construct - to be low/when becomes low
*qôl*: noun, masculine singular - sound/voice
*ṭaḥănāh*: noun, feminine singular - grinding/mill
*yāqûm*: qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular - he will rise
*ṣippôr*: noun, common singular - bird/sparrow
*yiššaḥû*: niphal imperfect, 3rd person masculine plural - they will be brought low
*bənôt*: noun, feminine plural construct - daughters of
*šîr*: noun, masculine singular - song/singing

Word Meanings

*dəlātayim*: double doors/gates (may refer to lips metaphorically)
*qôl* ha-*ṭaḥănāh*: sound of grinding (may refer to diminished eating/chewing sounds)
*yāqûm* lə-*qôl* ha-*ṣippôr*: rises at the sound of a bird (awakening at dawn/early waking)
*bənôt* ha-*šîr*: daughters of song (singing women/musical notes/ability to sing or hear music)

ℹ️

About this Translation

American Standard Version with Strong's Numbers

Formal EquivalenceSource: American Standard VersionBest for: Word studies and original-language research

🎯 Translation Approach

A highly literal, word-for-word translation (ASV, 1901) augmented with Strong's numbering to connect English words to underlying Hebrew and Greek terms for study.

Word-for-word

5/5

Readability

2/5

💎 Distinctive Features

Integrated Strong's numbering: Links English terms to underlying Hebrew and Greek words for deeper lexical study.
Formal equivalence: Prioritizes close alignment with source-language forms and structures.
Divine name rendering: Frequently renders the Tetragrammaton as Jehovah in the Old Testament, following ASV tradition.
Study-focused formatting: Optimized for reference and research rather than casual reading.

✅ Strengths

High fidelity to original languages
Includes Strong's numbers for precise word study
Consistent lexical choices aid exegesis
Stable, longstanding scholarly text

⚠️ Considerations

Archaic language reduces readability
Older textual basis compared to some modern translations
Strong's numbers are a concordance index, not full lexical definitions

👥 Who is this for?

Ideal for

Pastors and teachers
Seminary students
Serious Bible students
Readers conducting word studies
Those referencing Hebrew/Greek tools

Consider alternatives for

Casual readers
Children and early teens
ESL learners seeking simple English
Readers preferring contemporary language

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Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

2 Sam 19:35 : 35 I am this day fourscore years old: can I discern between good and bad? can thy servant taste what I eat or what I drink? can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women? wherefore then should thy servant be yet a burden unto my lord the king?
Jer 25:10 : 10 Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the lamp.
Rev 18:22 : 22 And the voice of harpers and minstrels and flute-players and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft, shall be found any more at all in thee; and the voice of a mill shall be heard no {G3361} more at all in thee;

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

Eccl 12:2-3
2 verses
86%
2before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars, are darkened, and the clouds return after the rain;
3in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows shall be darkened,
Eccl 12:5-6
2 verses
76%
5yea, they shall be afraid of [that which is] high, and terrors [shall be] in the way; and the almond-tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail; because man goeth to his everlasting home, and the mourners go about the streets:
6before the silver cord is loosed, or the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern,
Lam 5:13-15
3 verses
73%
13The young men bare the mill; And the children stumbled under the wood.
14The elders have ceased from the gate, The young men from their music.
15The joy of our heart is ceased; Our dance is turned into mourning.
Isa 24:7-13
7 verses
72%
7The new wine mourneth, the vine languisheth, all the merry-hearted do sigh.
8The mirth of tabrets ceaseth, the noise of them that rejoice endeth, the joy of the harp ceaseth.
9They shall not drink wine with a song; strong drink shall be bitter to them that drink it.
10The waste city is broken down; every house is shut up, that no man may come in.
11There is a crying in the streets because of the wine; all joy is darkened, the mirth of the land is gone.
12In the city is left desolation, and the gate is smitten with destruction.
13For thus shall it be in the midst of the earth among the peoples, as the shaking of an olive-tree, as the gleanings when the vintage is done.
Rev 18:22
71%
22And the voice of harpers and minstrels and flute-players and trumpeters shall be heard no more at all in thee; and no craftsman, of whatsoever craft, shall be found any more at all in thee; and the voice of a mill shall be heard no {G3361} more at all in thee;
Jer 25:10
71%
10Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the lamp.
Isa 32:9-10
2 verses
69%
9Rise up, ye women that are at ease, [and] hear my voice; ye careless daughters, give ear unto my speech.
10For days beyond a year shall ye be troubled, ye careless women; for the vintage shall fail, the ingathering shall not come.
Isa 5:12
69%
12And the harp and the lute, the tabret and the pipe, and wine, are [in] their feasts; but they regard not the work of Jehovah, neither have they considered the operation of his hands.
Jer 7:34
68%
34Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride; for the land shall become a waste.
Matt 24:41
68%
41two women [shall be] grinding at the mill; one is taken, and one is left.
Ezek 26:13
68%
13And I will cause the noise of thy songs to cease; and the sound of thy harps shall be no more heard.
Lam 2:10
68%
10The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground, they keep silence; They have cast up dust upon their heads; They have girded themselves with sackcloth: The virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to the ground.
Isa 24:18
68%
18And it shall come to pass, that he who fleeth from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that cometh up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows on high are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble.
Luke 17:35
68%
35There shall be two women grinding {G1909} together; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left.
Prov 8:3
67%
3Beside the gates, at the entry of the city, At the coming in at the doors, she crieth aloud:
Ps 144:14
67%
14[ When] our oxen are well laden; [When there is] no breaking in, and no going forth, And no outcry in our streets:
Isa 26:20
67%
20Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself for a little moment, until the indignation be overpast.
Zeph 1:10
67%
10And in that day, saith Jehovah, there shall be the noise of a cry from the fish gate, and a wailing from the second quarter, and a great crashing from the hills.
Job 14:12
67%
12So man lieth down and riseth not: Till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, Nor be roused out of their sleep.
Isa 3:26
67%
26And her gates shall lament and mourn; and she shall be desolate and sit upon the ground.
Job 30:31
67%
31Therefore is my harp [turned] to mourning, And my pipe into the voice of them that weep.
Job 21:12
67%
12They sing to the timbrel and harp, And rejoice at the sound of the pipe.
Amos 8:3
67%
3And the songs of the temple shall be wailings in that day, saith the Lord Jehovah: the dead bodies shall be many: in every place shall they cast them forth with silence.
Jer 16:9
67%
9For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place, before your eyes and in your days, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.
Isa 16:10
67%
10And gladness is taken away, and joy out of the fruitful field; and in the vineyards there shall be no singing, neither joyful noise: no treader shall tread out wine in the presses; I have made the [vintage] shout to cease.
Lam 3:63
66%
63Behold thou their sitting down, and their rising up; I am their song.
Jer 12:4
66%
4How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of the whole country wither? for the wickedness of them that dwell therein, the beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our latter end.
Jer 9:20
66%
20Yet hear the word of Jehovah, O ye women, and let your ear receive the word of his mouth; and teach your daughters wailing, and every one her neighbor lamentation.
Prov 24:33
66%
33[ Yet] a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep;
Song 2:12
66%
12The flowers appear on the earth; The time of the singing [of birds] is come, And the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land;
Isa 24:4
66%
4The earth mourneth and fadeth away, the world languisheth and fadeth away, the lofty people of the earth do languish.
Hab 3:17
66%
17For though the fig-tree shall not flourish, Neither shall fruit be in the vines; The labor of the olive shall fail, And the fields shall yield no food; The flock shall be cut off from the fold, And there shall be no herd in the stalls:
Job 24:11
66%
11They make oil within the walls of these men; They tread [their] winepresses, and suffer thirst.
Amos 8:13
66%
13In that day shall the fair virgins and the young men faint for thirst.
Joel 2:16
66%
16gather the people, sanctify the assembly, assemble the old men, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts; let the bridegroom go forth from his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.
Jer 31:13
66%
13Then shall the virgin rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old together; for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.
Isa 23:16
66%
16Take a harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered.
Zech 8:5
66%
5And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets thereof.
Isa 47:2
66%
2Take the millstones, and grind meal; remove thy veil, strip off the train, uncover the leg, pass through the rivers.