Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 9:14–16

¹⁴There was a small city with few men. A mighty king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege ramps against it.

¹⁵Now a poor wise man was found in the city, and he saved the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man. ¹⁶And I said, “Wisdom is better than strength, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heeded.”

Read all of Ecclesiastes 9

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Each English word or phrase beside the Hebrew it translates, in the order of the English. Choose a number to open that word’s study.

Ecclesiastes 9:14

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
There was a small	קְטַנָּ֔ה	qə·ṭan·nāh	Adjective - feminine singular	H6996 small, young, unimportant
city	עִ֣יר	‘îr	Noun - feminine singular	H5892 excitement
with few	מְעָ֑ט	mə·‘āṭ	Adjective - masculine singular	H4592 a little, fewness, a few
men	וַאֲנָשִׁ֥ים	wa·’ă·nā·šîm	Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine plural	H582 man, mankind
A mighty	גָּדוֹל֙	gā·ḏō·wl	Adjective - masculine singular	H1419 great
king	מֶ֤לֶךְ	me·leḵ	Noun - masculine singular	H4428 king
came	וּבָֽא־	ū·ḇā-	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular	H935 come in, come, go in, go
against it	אֵלֶ֜יהָ	’ê·le·hā	Preposition; third person feminine singular	H413 motion to
surrounded it	וְסָבַ֣ב	wə·sā·ḇaḇ	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular	H5437 turn about, go around, surround
and built	וּבָנָ֥ה	ū·ḇā·nāh	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular	H1129 build
large	גְּדֹלִֽים׃	gə·ḏō·lîm	Adjective - masculine plural	H1419 great
siege ramps	מְצוֹדִ֥ים	mə·ṣō·w·ḏîm	Noun - masculine plural	H4685 siege-works
against it	עָלֶ֖יהָ	‘ā·le·hā	Preposition; third person feminine singular	H5921 height

Ecclesiastes 9:15

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
Now a poor	מִסְכֵּן֙	mis·kên	Adjective - masculine singular	H4542 poor
wise	חָכָ֔ם	ḥā·ḵām	Adjective - masculine singular	H2450 wise
man	אִ֤ישׁ	’îš	Noun - masculine singular	H376 man
was found	וּמָ֣צָא	ū·mā·ṣā	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular	H4672 attain to, find
in	בָ֗הּ	ḇāh	Preposition; third person feminine singular
and he	ה֥וּא	hū	Pronoun - third person masculine singular	H1931 he, she
saved	וּמִלַּט־	ū·mil·laṭ-	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular	H4422 slip away
the city	הָעִ֖יר	hā·‘îr	Article; Noun - feminine singular	H5892 excitement
by his wisdom	בְּחָכְמָת֑וֹ	bə·ḥā·ḵə·mā·ṯōw	Preposition-b; Noun - feminine singular construct; third person masculine singular	H2451 wisdom
Yet no	לֹ֣א	lō	Adverb - Negative particle	H3808 not
one	וְאָדָם֙	wə·’ā·ḏām	Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine singular	H120 man, mankind
remembered	זָכַ֔ר	zā·ḵar	Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular	H2142 remember
that	הַהּֽוּא׃	ha·hū	Article; Pronoun - third person masculine singular	H1931 he, she
poor	הַמִּסְכֵּ֖ן	ham·mis·kên	Article; Adjective - masculine singular	H4542 poor
man	הָאִ֥ישׁ	hā·’îš	Article; Noun - masculine singular	H376 man

Ecclesiastes 9:16

English	Hebrew	Sounds like	Grammar	Word study
And I	אָ֔נִי	’ā·nî	Pronoun - first person common singular	H589 I
said	וְאָמַ֣רְתִּי	wə·’ā·mar·tî	Conjunctive waw; Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular	H559 utter, say
Wisdom	חָכְמָ֖ה	ḥāḵ·māh	Noun - feminine singular	H2451 wisdom
is better	טוֹבָ֥ה	ṭō·w·ḇāh	Adjective - feminine singular	H2896 pleasant, agreeable, good
than strength	מִגְּבוּרָ֑ה	mig·gə·ḇū·rāh	Preposition-m; Noun - feminine singular	H1369 strength, might
but the wisdom	וְחָכְמַ֤ת	wə·ḥā·ḵə·maṯ	Conjunctive waw; Noun - feminine singular construct	H2451 wisdom
of the poor	הַמִּסְכֵּן֙	ham·mis·kên	Article; Adjective - masculine singular	H4542 poor
man is despised	בְּזוּיָ֔ה	bə·zū·yāh	Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - feminine singular	H959 despise
and his words	וּדְבָרָ֖יו	ū·ḏə·ḇā·rāw	Conjunctive waw; Noun - masculine plural construct; third person masculine singular	H1697 speech, word
are not	אֵינָ֥ם	’ê·nām	Adverb; third person masculine plural	H369 nothing, nought
heeded	נִשְׁמָעִֽים׃	niš·mā·‘îm	Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine plural	H8085 hear

Cross-references

Other passages that speak to the same thing. Point at one to read it.

Ecclesiastes 9:14 2 Samuel 20:15–22 · 2 Kings 6:24–7:20

Ecclesiastes 9:15 Ecclesiastes 4:13 · Genesis 40:23 · Esther 6:2–3 · 2 Samuel 20:22

Ecclesiastes 9:16 Ecclesiastes 7:19 · Proverbs 24:5 · Proverbs 21:22 · Mark 6:2–3 · 1 Corinthians 1:26–29 · James 2:2–6 · Ecclesiastes 9:18 · John 7:47–49 · Proverbs 10:15 · John 9:24–34

Cross-references from OpenBible.info, used under CC BY 4.0. The best-supported references for each verse are shown.

Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible.