Verse 35

I am presently eighty years old. Am I able to discern good and bad? Can I taste what I eat and drink? Am I still able to hear the voices of male and female singers? Why should I continue to be a burden to my lord the king?

Referenced Verses

  • 2 Sam 15:33 : 33 David said to him,“If you leave with me you will be a burden to me.
  • Ezra 2:65 : 65 not counting their male and female servants, who numbered 7,337. They also had 200 male and female singers
  • Ps 90:10 : 10 The days of our lives add up to seventy years, or eighty, if one is especially strong. But even one’s best years are marred by trouble and oppression. Yes, they pass quickly and we fly away.
  • Eccl 2:8 : 8 I also amassed silver and gold for myself, as well as valuable treasures taken from kingdoms and provinces. I acquired male singers and female singers for myself, and what gives a man sensual delight– a harem of beautiful concubines!
  • Eccl 12:1-5 : 1 Fear God Now Because Old Age and Death Come Quickly So remember your Creator in the days of your youth– before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you will say,“I have no pleasure in them”; 2 before the sun and the light of the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds disappear after the rain; 3 when those who keep watch over the house begin to tremble, and the virile men begin to stoop over, and the grinders begin to cease because they grow few, and those who look through the windows grow dim, 4 and the doors along the street are shut; when the sound of the grinding mill grows low, and one is awakened by the sound of a bird, and all their songs grow faint, 5 and they are afraid of heights and the dangers in the street; the almond blossoms grow white, and the grasshopper drags itself along, and the caper berry shrivels up– because man goes to his eternal home, and the mourners go about in the streets–
  • Isa 5:11-12 : 11 Beware, those who get up early to drink beer, those who keep drinking long after dark until they are intoxicated with wine. 12 They have stringed instruments, tambourines, flutes, and wine at their parties. So they do not recognize what the LORD is doing, they do not perceive what he is bringing about.
  • Heb 5:14 : 14 But solid food is for the mature, whose perceptions are trained by practice to discern both good and evil.
  • 1 Pet 2:3 : 3 if you have experienced the Lord’s kindness.
  • Neh 7:67 : 67 not counting their 7,337 male and female servants. They also had 245 male and female singers.
  • Job 6:30 : 30 Is there any falsehood on my lips? Can my mouth not discern evil things?
  • Job 12:11 : 11 Does not the ear test words, as the tongue tastes food?
  • Exod 2:8 : 8 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her,“Yes, do so.” So the young girl went and got the child’s mother.
  • Exod 12:4 : 4 If any household is too small for a lamb, the man and his next-door neighbor are to take a lamb according to the number of people– you will make your count for the lamb according to how much each one can eat.
  • 2 Sam 13:25 : 25 But the king said to Absalom,“No, my son. We shouldn’t all go. We shouldn’t burden you in that way.” Though Absalom pressed him, the king was not willing to go. Instead, David blessed him.