(2.) =Until not darkened= (_i.e._ before this happens) is =the sun,= and =the light= (referring back to chapter xi. 7), =and the moon, and the stars, and return the clouds= (_storm_-clouds) =after the rain= (the tempestuous rain, _i.e._ storm succeeds storm). 3 In the day when the │ In a day when sore moved are keepers of the house shall │ the keepers of the house, tremble, and the strong men │ and the mighty mortals sadly shall bow themselves, and the │ perplex themselves, and the grinders ¹cease because they │ grinding maids are idle because are few, and those that look │ there is little to grind, and out of the windows be darkened,│ the ladies look into gloom │ through the windows; ¹ _Or_, fail because they │ _grind_ little. │ (3.) =In a day= (not _the_ day, which again spoils the pathos. Koheleth is now going to give specimens of evil days) =when disturbed are,= (occurs only Esther iii. 9, and Habakkuk ii. 7, pilpel. This word, שיזעו, has been said to be a late one, but זעוה occurs Deuteronomy xxviii. ♦25; the idea is ‘commotion,’ when they are or may be in commotion) =the keepers of the house, and perplex themselves= (see chapter i. 15, vii. 13), =the men= (אנושי, ‘weak men’) of =the strength= (it is quite consistent with the character of the writer to join such terms as these together, with an oblique sarcasm hidden beneath them), =and cease= (here only, a so-called late word) =the grinding maids, because they are diminished, and are dark the gazers= (feminine) =in the windows= ((1.) the keepers are the slaves; (2.) the strong men the masters; (3.) the grinding maids the women servants; (4) the gazers are the ladies――compare Judges v. 28; thus is comprised the whole family.) ♦ “5” replaced with “25” 4 And the doors shall be │ and closed are the doors in the shut in the streets, when the │ street in the failing sound of sound of the grinding is low, │ the mill, and one starts at the and he shall rise up at the │ note of a sparrow, and hushed voice of the bird, and all the │ are all the daughters of song. daughters of musick shall be │ brought low; │ (4.) =And shut are the doors in the street, in the failing voice of the grinding,= (or ‘grinding maid’), =and rises up= (as there is no nominative we must take it as impersonal, ‘one rises up’) =to a voice of the sparrow, and brought low= (see Isaiah ii. 9, and also xxix. 4, where the word is used of a muttering voice) =all daughters of the song.=