📖 Biblical Definition
"Fear God, and keep his commandments" is Ecclesiastes’ closing summary: "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil" (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). After twelve chapters of diagnosing every domain under the sun as hevel (vapor) — wisdom, pleasure, work, wealth, power, reputation — the Preacher’s verdict lands here. Two clauses define "the whole duty of man": fear God; keep His commandments. Everything else is commentary. The verse is a useful summary catechism for an entire Christian life.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Eccl 12:13's bottom line: reverent awe + obedient action.
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Ecclesiastes' final summary: "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." After twelve chapters of diagnosing every domain under the sun as hevel — pleasure, work, wealth, wisdom, religion, time itself, even justice — the Preacher's bottom line. Two parts: reverent awe (fear God) and obedient action (keep His commandments). Hebrew kol ha-adam — literally "the whole [duty of] man" or "this is for all humanity." The verse connects to Christ's two greatest commandments and to the new-covenant fulfillment in love-of-God-and-neighbor.
📖 Key Scripture
Ecclesiastes 12:13 — "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."
Deuteronomy 10:12-13 — "What doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, To keep the commandments of the LORD."
Micah 6:8 — "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Modern "do good and don't worry" simplifications drop the fear-of-God; modern "obey rules" reductions drop the reverent awe.
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Two opposite reductions: (1) ethics-only (do good, treat people well, the religion is irrelevant); (2) rules-only (obey commandments, the heart-disposition is irrelevant). The Preacher requires both: fear AND keep. Awe AND action. Heart AND hand.
Recover the both-and: this is the conclusion of the whole matter. The whole duty of man, the meaning under all the meaningless. Fear God AND keep His commandments.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Hebrew yare et-elohim ve-shamor mitsvotav.
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['Hebrew', 'H3372', 'yare', 'to fear']
['Hebrew', 'H8104', 'shamar', 'to keep, observe']
['Hebrew', 'H4687', 'mitsvah', 'commandment']
Usage
"Conclusion of the whole matter."
"Whole duty of man: fear AND keep."
"Awe + action; heart + hand."