Ecclesiastes 12 Footnotes

12:13 Some argue that these words, “fear God and keep his commands,” are inconsistent with the rest of the book and that they must have been added by a later editor who wanted to make Ecclesiastes appear more “orthodox.” This view requires the interpreter to see the bulk of the book as the work of a cynical skeptic. In reality, Ecclesiastes is not “cynical” at all. It calls on us to face the significance of mortality: We will die, and all our accomplishments will die with us. Because life is short and we are weak, we should enjoy the time we have. But we should also abandon excessive and prideful efforts to control life; it is in the hands of God, not our own, and ultimately our mortality drives us to him as “the spirit returns to God who gave it” (v. 7).