Ecclesiastes 7:19

3. Wisdom leads to proper attitudes and conduct. Ecclesiastes 7:19-22

a. Wisdom strengthens the wise. Ecclesiastes 7:19

TEXT 7:19

19

Wisdom strengthens a wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

THOUGHT QUESTIONS 7:19

205.

What theme is still under discussion?

206.

What is of greater value than ten rulers who rule a city?

PARAPHRASE 7:19

Wisdom is strength to a wise man; more strength than ten rulers, although they are surrounded by their advisors, masters in their own right, and dwelling in a city.

COMMENT 7:19

Wisdom gives strength. This is the first observation in a list that runs through verse twenty-two. When wisdom is accepted as a companion, strength of such proportion is added to one that ten competent leaders cannot equal. Some argue that the verb will not allow strengthen but rather conveys the idea of a separate entity that can be called upon to fight for and defend the one who calls for such assistance. It has previously been noted that wisdom is better than money (Ecclesiastes 7:12), and here it is declared to be better than the accumulative power of ten rulers in a city. They may be wise in the ways of the world, but if they do not fear the Lord, they do not possess the true strength. As Psalms 127:1-2 states: Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who built it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman keeps awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; for He gives to His beloved even in his sleep.

The fact that ten rulers are mentioned is used by some to argue for a late date for the writing of Ecclesiastes on the basis that ten rulers often ruled Hellenistic towns and this is a reference to such instances. However, ten has a significant meaning in all Biblical periods. It represents completeness and may be suggesting nothing more than the fact that true wisdom is better than the accumulated wisdom of ten men which suggests in this context the complete, united effort of the strength of all non-wisdom sources. For the use of the number ten in Bible times, study the following:

(1)

The ten antediluvian patriarchs: Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech and Noah (Genesis 5);

(2)

The ten righteous men who would have saved Sodom (Genesis 18);

(3)

The ten plagues of Egypt (Exodus 8-12);

(4)

The ten commandments (Exodus 20);

(5)

The ten servants of Gideon (Judges 6);

(6)

The ten elders who accompanied Boaz (Ruth 4);

(7)

The ten virgins of the parable (Matthew 25);

(8)

The ten pieces of silver (Luke 15);

(9)

The ten servants entrusted with ten pounds (Luke 19);

(10)

The ten days tribulation predicted for the church of Smyrna (Revelation 2)[10]

[10] William Taylor Smith, Significant Numbers, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1947), IV, p. 2162. This summary is taken in part from the article The Number Ten.

The recognition that the ten rulers are in a city is also significant. Power, resources and authority would be assets of a city. In addition, there would be many from whom the rulers would be selected which suggests the choice of talented and competent men. The import is that of a superlative: Wisdom is a better companion and offers greater benefits than ten of the finest rulers chosen from the major population centers of the land. In light of the various ways the number ten is employed in the Bible, it would be a mistake to attribute significance to it beyond that which has been discussed here.

FACT QUESTIONS 7:19

373.

What is the first benefit of wisdom as noted here?

374.

Why is the number ten used in this verse?

375.

What is meant by the term superlative?

376.

Why say the ten rulers are in a city?