The Silver Cord

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Ecc. 12:6; "Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don't wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well". (NLT)

Barnes' notes (from his commentary of the Bible) regarding the above Scripture is very interesting to me. They are cited below:

"Be loosed - The termination of life is signified generally by the snapping of the silver cord by which the lamp hangs from the ceiling; by the dashing in pieces of the cup or reservoir of oil; by the shattering of the pitcher used to bring water from the spring; and by the breaking of the wheel by which a bucket is let down into the well. Others discern in the silver cord, the soul which holds the body in life; in the bowl, the body; and in the golden oil (compare Zechariah 4:12) within it, the spirit".

I have to admit that the first time I read this portion of Scripture from Ecclesiastes a few years back, I was quite perplexed by the content. I could not wrap my mind around the spirit being connected to the body (or shell) by a silver cord? I began to do some more research on it and here's what I found:

•  The "silver cord" is likened to the medulla oblongata. What is the medulla oblongata you ask? :) Well, according to the World English Dictionary it is "the lower stalklike section of the brain, continuous with the spinal cord, containing control centres for the heart and lungs", so it would appear to me that it's the connection points to sustaining life.

Now let's move to the next portion of that verse in Ecclesiastes that speaks of the golden bowl being broken. I have some interesting things to share about that as well. Ready?

• The "golden bowl" seems to be a representation of the brain or cranium, hence the reference between the cord (medulla oblongata) hanging from the lamp (the cranium). Following me so far? When the golden bowl is broken it can no longer carry out it's major functions, such as supplying the nervous system with it's functionality.

Okay, now for the next part. This is fun huh? I love learning! Now ... let's talk about the next portion of that Scripture that mentions the water jar.

• It states that the "water jar" is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well. What an interesting concept. What I believe this is actually referring to is the vena cava. What's that? The vena cava according to Webster, are "two large veins that carry blood into the right atrium of the heart (superior vena cava) conveying blood from the head, chest, and upper extremities, while the other large vein (inferior vena cava) conveys blood from all parts below the diaphragm". Pretty cool ... huh? God just thought of everything! 

And last but certainly not least, the last part of that Scripture that states the "pulley is broken at the well", what does that mean?

• The "pulley" may be the representation of the aorta.What is the function of the aorta? Well, according to Webster once again, it states it's "the main artery of the circulatory system, arising from the left ventricle of the heart carrying blood with high levels of oxygen to all the arteries of the body except those of the lungs."

When the silver cord snaps ... what happens? The body inevitably shuts down and dies. Without the nervous system how can the body function? Could it be that the silver cord releases the spirit from the body? Solomon was a genius beyond measure. God gave him so much wisdom! The sad part is that even with all his wisdom he still fell away from God and worshiped other gods, married women who didn't even believe in the "One True God", and some scholars state that he may have even experienced insanity towards the end of his life.

We can have lots of knowledge and still miss heaven by eight inches, which ironically is the distance between the heart and mind. Head knowledge may get you where you want to go in the corporate world, but in the spiritual world it's based on heart knowledge. It's relationship, not religion. You can quote the entire Bible and still miss heaven.

Isn't what we find in the Bible amazing? I hope you learned something new today? I did.
Be blessed!
Tracy :)