Ecclesiastes 12:7

“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was, etc.] The body, which is made of dust, and is no other in its present state than dust refined and enlivened; and when the above things take place, mentioned in (<211206>Ecclesiastes 12:6), or at death, it returns to its original earth; it becomes immediately a clod of earth, a lifeless lump of clay, and is then buried in the earth, where it rots, corrupts, and turns into it; which shows the frailty of man, and may serve to humble his pride, as well as proves that death is not an annihilation even of the body; see (<010319>Genesis 3:19 <180121>Job 1:21); and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it; from whom it is, by whom it is created,…”

“dust--the dust-formed body. spirit--surviving the body; implying its immortality (Ecc 3:11).”

“The spirit - i. e., The spirit separated unto God from the body at death. No more is said here of its future destiny. To return to God, who is the fountain Psalms 36:9 of Life, certainly means to continue to live. The doctrine of life after death is implied here as in Exodus 3:6 (compare Mark 12:26), Psalms 17:15 (see the note), and in many other passages of Scripture earlier than the age of Solomon. The inference that the soul loses its personality and is absorbed into something else has no warrant in this or any other statement in this book, and would be inconsistent with the announcement of a judgment after death Ecclesiastes 12:14. return to 'Top of Page'”

“12:7 the dust will return to the earth: See Gen 2:7; 3:19. • That the spirit will return to God who gave it hints at belief in an afterlife (cp. Eccl 3:21; see “The Afterlife” Theme Note).”

“dust: Ecc 3:20; Gen 3:19, Gen 18:27; Job 4:19, Job 4:20, Job 7:21, Job 20:11, Job 34:14, Job 34:15; Psa 90:3; Psa 146:4; Dan 12:2 the spirit: Ecc 3:21 God: Gen 2:7; Num 16:22, Num 27:16; Isa 57:16; Jer 38:16; Zac 12:1; Heb 12:9, Heb 12:23 Ecclesiastes 12:8”