Ecclesiastes 7:19 (WEB)

Passage

Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

Nearby Context

Ecclesiastes 7:17 Don’t be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time?

Ecclesiastes 7:18 It is good that you should take hold of this. Yes, also from that don’t withdraw your hand; for he who fears God will come out of them all.

Ecclesiastes 7:19 Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 Surely there is not a righteous man on earth, who does good and doesn’t sin.

Ecclesiastes 7:21 Also don’t take heed to all words that are spoken, lest you hear your servant curse you;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wisdom", "strength", "wise", "than", "rulers", and "city". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wisdom" and "strength", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "It is good that you should take..." into verse 20's "Surely there is not a righteous man...", so "wisdom" and "strength" 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 "strength" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.