Commentary of Charles Spurgeon, Adam Clarke & Matthew Henry
Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, 
and fears shall be in the way,
and the almond tree shall flourish,
and the grasshopper shall be a burden,
and desire shall fail:
because man goeth to his long home,
and the mourners go about the streets:
Vs.5
It is probable that Solomon wrote this when he was himself
old,......And all this, put together, makes up a good reason why
we should remember our Creator in the days of our youth, that he may
remember us with favor when these evil days come, and his comforts may
delight our souls when the delights of sense are in a manner worn off.
that
his head looks like an almond-tree in the blossom. The almond-tree blossoms
before any other tree, and therefore fitly shows what haste old age makes in
seizing upon men; it prevents their expectations and comes faster upon them than
they thought of. Gray hairs are here and there upon them, and they perceive it
not.
When they shall be afraid of that which is high -Being so feeble, they are afraid to trust themselves to ascend steps, stairs, etc., without help.
The almond-tree flourishes. The old man's hair has grown white, so
The grasshopper is a burden -- Old men can
bear nothing; the lightest thing sits heavily upon them, both on their bodies
and on their minds, a little thing sinks and breaks them.
Desire shall fail - Both relish and appetite for food, even the most delicate, that to which they were formerly so much attached, now fails.
Because man goeth to his long home - עולמו בית אל el beith olamo, "to the house of his age;" the place destined to receive him, when the whole race or course of life shall be finished; So old age terminates the olam, the complete duration of human life; and
when life is no longer desired, and nutrition ceases, the olam of man
is terminated.
There is none of the courage of youth. Daring is gone; prudence, not to say cowardice, sits on the throne.
