Ecclesiastes 12:7

King James Version with Strong's Numbers

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

Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וְיָשֹׁ֧ב הֶעָפָ֛ר עַל־הָאָ֖רֶץ כְּשֶׁהָיָ֑ה וְהָר֣וּחַ תָּשׁ֔וּב אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר נְתָנָֽהּ׃

Transliteration

Wə-yāšōḇ he-ʿāpār ʿal-hā-ʾāreṣ kə-še-hāyāh wə-hā-rûaḥ tāšûḇ ʾel-hā-ʾĕlōhîm ʾăšer nətānāh

Grammar Details

*yāšōḇ*: qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular - it will return
*ʿāpār*: noun, masculine singular - dust/soil
*ʿal*: preposition - upon/to
*ʾāreṣ*: noun, feminine singular - earth/land
*hāyāh*: qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular - it was
*rûaḥ*: noun, feminine singular - spirit/breath/wind
*tāšûḇ*: qal imperfect, 3rd person feminine singular - it will return
*ʾel*: preposition - to/toward
*ʾĕlōhîm*: noun, masculine plural - God
*ʾăšer*: relative particle - who/which
*nətānāh*: qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular with 3rd person feminine singular suffix - he gave it

Word Meanings

*ʿāpār*: dust/soil/earth (reference to Genesis 3:19)
*rûaḥ*: spirit/breath/life-force
*ʾĕlōhîm*: God (plural form used as singular)

ℹ️

About this Translation

King James Version with Strong's Numbers

Formal EquivalenceSource: King James VersionBest for: Original-language word studies

🎯 Translation Approach

Classic King James Version text presented with Strong's numbering to link English words to their underlying Hebrew and Greek terms. Prioritizes literal/formal correspondence while enabling original-language word study.

Word-for-word

5/5

Readability

2/5

💎 Distinctive Features

Integrated Strong's numbering: Each English term is keyed to a Strong's number, enabling direct lookup of the underlying Hebrew or Greek word.
KJV text basis: Employs the classic King James Version wording known for formal equivalence and literary style.
Study-focused layout: Optimized for research and analysis, prioritizing lexical access over uninterrupted readability.
Concordance compatibility: Strong's numbers map to widely available concordances and lexicons for deeper study.

✅ Strengths

Strong linkage to original Hebrew/Greek via Strong's numbers
High concordance with source wording
Well-suited for in-depth word studies and exegesis
Widely recognized and referenced KJV text

⚠️ Considerations

Archaic language can be difficult for modern readers
Reference numbers can disrupt continuous reading
Less suitable for public or devotional reading compared to modern translations

👥 Who is this for?

Ideal for

Students of biblical languages
Pastors and teachers
Serious Bible students
Researchers needing lexical linkage
Readers preferring KJV tradition

Consider alternatives for

New believers
Casual devotional reading
Children and young readers
English language learners

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Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

Gen 3:19 : 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
Ps 146:4 : 4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
Gen 2:7 : 7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Dan 12:2 : 2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
Zech 12:1 : 1 The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
Eccl 3:20-21 : 20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. 21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?
Isa 57:16 : 16 For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made.
Job 34:14-15 : 14 If he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath; 15 All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust.
Ps 90:3 : 3 Thou turnest{H8686)} man to destruction; and sayest{H8799)}, Return{H8798)}, ye children of men.
Heb 12:9 : 9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?
Heb 12:23 : 23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Jer 38:16 : 16 So Zedekiah the king sware secretly unto Jeremiah, saying, As the LORD liveth, that made us this soul, I will not put thee to death, neither will I give thee into the hand of these men that seek thy life.
Gen 18:27 : 27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:
Num 16:22 : 22 And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?
Num 27:16 : 16 Let the LORD, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation,
Job 4:19-20 : 19 How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth? 20 They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it.
Job 7:21 : 21 And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.
Job 20:11 : 11 His bones are full of the sin of his youth, which shall lie down with him in the dust.

Similar Verses (AI)

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

Eccl 3:19-22
4 verses
83%
19For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
20All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
21Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?
22Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?
Job 34:14-15
2 verses
81%
14If he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath;
15All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust.
Eccl 12:5-6
2 verses
80%
5Also 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:
6Or 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.
Eccl 12:8
79%
8Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.
Ps 146:4
77%
4His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.
Ps 104:29-30
2 verses
75%
29Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.
30Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.
Job 7:9-10
2 verses
75%
9As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.
10He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more.
Gen 3:19
74%
19In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
Eccl 4:7
74%
7Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun.
Job 14:10-12
3 verses
74%
10But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?
11As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up:
12So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.
Ps 90:3
73%
3Thou turnest{H8686)} man to destruction; and sayest{H8799)}, Return{H8798)}, ye children of men.
Eccl 5:15-16
2 verses
72%
15As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.
16And this also is a sore evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind?
Eccl 1:2-7
6 verses
72%
2Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
3What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
4One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
5The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.
6The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.
7All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
Eccl 12:1-2
2 verses
72%
1Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
2While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:
Eccl 6:11-12
2 verses
72%
11Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better?
12For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?
Eccl 7:2
71%
2It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.
Gen 2:7
70%
7And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Ps 103:16
70%
16For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more.
Job 16:22
70%
22When a few years are come, then I shall go the way whence I shall not return.
Eccl 2:11
70%
11Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
Job 17:16
70%
16They shall go down to the bars of the pit, when our rest together is in the dust.
2 Sam 14:14
70%
14For we must needs die, and are as water spilt on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God respect any person: yet doth he devise means, that his banished be not expelled from him.
Ps 144:4
70%
4Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.
Eccl 9:10
69%
10Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
Eccl 8:10
69%
10And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also vanity.
Job 14:2
69%
2He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not.
Job 38:38
69%
38When the dust groweth into hardness, and the clods cleave fast together?
Job 13:12
69%
12Your remembrances are like unto ashes, your bodies to bodies of clay.
Job 21:26
69%
26They shall lie down alike in the dust, and the worms shall cover them.
Eccl 11:8
69%
8But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.
Eccl 3:15
69%
15That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.
Eccl 8:8
69%
8There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.
Eccl 4:16
69%
16There is no end of all the people, even of all that have been before them: they also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.