KJV ORIGINAL
Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
Then the dust will return to the earth where it came from, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
This verse reminds us that when we die, our physical bodies return to the earth, but our spirits go back to God who created us.
📚 Historical Context
This verse comes at the end of Ecclesiastes, where Solomon is reflecting on the reality of aging and death. In ancient Hebrew thinking, humans were understood to be made from the dust of the earth (as described in Genesis) and given the breath of life by God. Solomon is acknowledging this fundamental truth about human mortality and our spiritual connection to our Creator.
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