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Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Ecclesiastes 9:18

Wisdom is better than weapons of war The maxim presents another illustration of the irony of history. The excellence of wisdom is acknowledged. Counsel is more than the materielof war; the statesman more than the general, and yet one man by his guilt or folly, by the perversity which includes both (the Hebrew verb for "sinneth" has this meaning, as in Proverbs 8:36), may mar what it has taken years to bring to a good issue. The defeat of an army, the most terrible catastrophe, may often be traced to the fact that "some one has blundered," in carelessness or passion. It is probable enough that, as in Ecclesiastes 9:14, the writer had some definite historical fact present to his thoughts which we are unable to identify. The history of Achan, in Joshua 7:1-12, presents a sufficient illustration.

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See also Ecclesiastes 9:18 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse 18. _WISDOM_ IS _BETTER THAN WEAPONS OF WAR_] So proved in the case of _Archimedes_. _BUT ONE SINNER_] Such as the Roman butcher above mentioned. _DESTROYETH MUCH GOOD_] Such as were the life...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    SINNER - The word in the original indicates intellectual as well as moral error....

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    2. PRAISE OF WISDOM AND PHILOSOPHY, THEFINAL WORD AND THE GREAT CONCLUSION CHAPTER 9:13-18 Before he had declared that wisdom is strength. He comes back to this statement and gives an illustration o...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

  • Charles Simeon's Horae Homileticae

    DISCOURSE: 843 THE DESTRUCTIVE INFLUENCE OF SINNERS Ecclesiastes 9:18. _One sinner destroyeth much good_. THE influence of every man in his sphere is considerable. Solomon had seen a remarkable insta...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    6. Wisdom is declared to be the greatest guide in our work. Ecclesiastes 9:13-18 TEXT 9:13-18 13 Also this I came to see as wisdom under the sun, and it impressed me. 14 There was a small city wi...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good. ONE SINNER ... - as Achan (; ). Though wisdom excels folly, and strengthens more than weapons of war (;...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    LIVE WORTHILY WHILE YOU MAY 1-3. The future is in God's hands. Good and bad alike must die....

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    ONE SINNER, etc.] One man's evil deed may bring to nought wide-reaching purposes of good....

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    THE TEACHER SEARCHES FOR THE PURPOSE OF OUR LIVES BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES _HILDA BRIGHT AND KITTY PRIDE_ CHAPTER 9 EVERYONE MUST DIE AT SOME TIME – ECCLESIASTES 9:1-10...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    טֹובָ֥ה חָכְמָ֖ה מִ כְּלֵ֣י קְרָ֑ב וְ חֹוטֶ֣א

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    NOR IN DEVOTION TO AFFAIRS AND ITS REWARDS. Ecclesiastes 9:13; Ecclesiastes 10:1 So far, then, Coheleth has been occupied in retracing the argument of the first Section of the Book. Now he returns up...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    In view of the evidences of the truth of the affirmation, "vanity... all is vanity," the preacher now turns to its effect on the mind of the man living "under the sun." He extols this worldly wisdom,...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _Things. A woman saved Abela; and Achan almost ruined Israel. Want of prudence in a general is often fatal. Virtues are connected, as well as vices. (Calmet) --- For one transgression, many acts of vi...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    REFLECTIONS READER! amidst many blessed meditations, which this chapter leads to, let us seek for grace from God the Spirit to derive improvements from the sweet view here opened to our souls concern...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard. (17) The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ru...

  • James Nisbet's Church Pulpit Commentary

    _THE SAVIOUR OF THE CITY_ ‘There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it,’ etc. Ecclesiastes 9:14 I. T...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 1 THROUGH 12. The Book of Ecclesiastes is, up to a certain point, the converse of the Book of Proverbs. (see NOTE TO PROVERBS below) It is the experience of a...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    WISDOM [IS] BETTER THAN WEAPONS OF WAR,.... And does what they cannot do; of which the wisdom of the poor wise man is a full proof, which delivered the city from a potent prince, when weapons of war c...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    _Wisdom [is] better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good._ Ver. 18. _Wisdom is better than weapons of war._] As David found it in his encounter with Goliath, Gideon in his stratag...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    Wisdom is better than weapons of war, it is more desirable than the greatest physical and martial strength; BUT ONE SINNER, placing himself in opposition to the counsels of wisdom, Cf Joshua 7:1, DEST...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    WISDOM STILL TO BE SOUGHT...

  • Mark Dunagan Commentaries

    "WISDOM IS BETTER THAN WEAPONS OF WAR, BUT ONE SINNER DESTROYS MUCH GOOD." Points To Note: 1. Every government needs to take seriously the above truth, because so many governments rely upon their mil...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    13-18 A man may, by his wisdom, bring to pass that which he could never do by his strength. If God be for us, who can be against us, or stand before us? Solomon observes the power of wisdom, though i...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    THAN WEAPONS OF WAR; than armed power. SINNER; a wicked fool; by which expression and opposition of a sinner to a wise man he gives us a key to understand his meaning in divers places of his books, th...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Ecclesiastes 9:18 Wisdom H2451 better H2896 weapons H3627 war H7128 one H259 sinner H2398 (H8802) destroys H6

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    CHAPTER 9 THE SAME THINGS HAPPEN TO ALL WHETHER THEY BE RIGHTEOUS, WISE OR SONS OF MEN. AND IN THE END ALL DIE IN THE SAME WAY. SO LET THE RIGHTEOUS LIVE LIFE AS THEY MAY AND ENJOY IT FOR GOD HAS ACCE...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    Ecclesiastes 8:16-10 I. At the end of chap. viii. and the beginning of chap. ix., Koheleth points out that it is impossible for us to construct a satisfactory policy of life. "The work of God," or, as...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    Ecclesiastes 9:14 I. The little city. At first sight it may seem rather paradoxical to compare this great world of ours, with its almost innumerable inhabitants, its vast area, its enormous resources,...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: The universality of death and the need of minding the business of life and using wisdom. CHARACTERS: God, Solomon. CONCLUSION: While there is life there is opportunity of preparing for dea...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Ecclesiastes 9:5. _The dead know not any thing._ This is explained by the next phrase, _the memory of them is forgotten._ Elijah went up to heaven, or paradise, as the Jews will have it. John 3:13. Si...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _The words of wise men are heard in quiet._ THE SUPERIORITY OF MORAL TO MILITARY FORCE “The words of wise men are heard in quiet”: words of thoughtfulness and conviction, silently dropping from the...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _There was a little city, and few men within it._ THE LITTLE CITY AND THE POOR WISE MAN The little city, as first introduced to our notice, is in sore straits. The legion of the foe seem innumerable,...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON ECCLESIASTES 9:13 Wisdom can achieve much good and is worth pursuing. Yet its benefits can be undone by evil. ⇐...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    ECCLESIASTES—NOTE ON ECCLESIASTES 9:17 Just as one wise man can successfully overcome the worst odds, so also ONE SINNER DESTROYS MUCH GOOD....

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    CRITICAL NOTES.— ECCLESIASTES 9:13. THIS WISDOM.] The special instance of the power of wisdom related in the next verse. ECCLESIASTES 9:14. FEW MEN WITHIN IT.] Not a city with a scanty population, b...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION ECCLESIASTES 9:1 One fate happens to all, and the dead are cut off from all the feelings and interests of life in the upper world. ECCLESIASTES 9:1 This continues the subject treated abo...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knows either love or hatred by all that is before them...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    1 Samuel 14:28; 1 Samuel 14:29; 1 Samuel 14:36; 2 Samuel 20:1;...

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