Ecc 12:11 | TNotes | STEP | 12:11 cattle prods ... nail-studded stick: Painful lessons are sometimes required to direct us into paths that we would rather not take. • a shepherd: This word is possibly an allusion to God as the shepherd of his people (Ps 23:1 ; Isa 40:11 ). The sentence might also just be comparing the words of the wise to the work that any shepherd does in taking care of his flock.

bPs 23:1►

cIsa 40:11►

‏ Ecclesiastes 12:11

12:11 ^a cattle prods ... nail-studded stick: Painful lessons are sometimes required to direct us into paths that we would rather not take.

• a shepherd: This word is possibly an allusion to God as the shepherd of his people (Ps 23:1 ^b; Isa 40:11 ^c). The sentence might also just be comparing the words of the wise to the work that any shepherd does in taking care of his flock.