Ecclesiastes 7:12 (DBY)

Passage

For wisdom is a defence [as] money is a defence; but the excellency of knowledge is, [that] wisdom maketh them that possess it to live.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 7:10 Say not, How is it that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this.

Ecclesiastes 7:11 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance, and profitable to them that see the sun.

Ecclesiastes 7:12 For wisdom is a defence [as] money is a defence; but the excellency of knowledge is, [that] wisdom maketh them that possess it to live.

Ecclesiastes 7:13 Consider the work of God; for who can make straight what he hath made crooked?

Ecclesiastes 7:14 In the day of prosperity enjoy good, and in the day of adversity consider: God hath also set the one beside the other, to the end that man should find out nothing [of what shall be] after him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wisdom", "defence", "money", "excellency", "knowledge", and "maketh". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wisdom" and "defence", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Wisdom is as good as an inheritance..." into verse 13's "Consider the work of God for who...", so "wisdom" and "defence" belong inside that flow. In Ecclesiastes context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "wisdom" and "defence" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.