Ecclesiastes 9:16

In 11 translations

BSB

And I said, “Wisdom is better than strength, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heeded.”

KJV

Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.

WEB

Then I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.

ASV

Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.

LSV

And I said, “Better [is] wisdom than might, and the wisdom of the poor is despised, and his words are not heard.”

YLT

And I said, 'Better [is] wisdom than might, and the wisdom of the poor is despised, and his words are not heard.' —

DBY

Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength; but the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.

DRC

And I said that wisdom is better than strength: how then is the wisdom of the poor man slighted, and his words not heard?

GNV

Then said I, Better is wisdome then strength: yet the wisedome of the poore is despised, and his wordes are not heard.

JPS

Then said I: 'Wisdom is better than strength; nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.'

LXXE

And I said, Wisdom is better than power: yet the wisdom of the poor man is set at nought, and his words not listened to.

Word by word Hebrew · tap a word

Words in brackets are English the glossers added; the Hebrew has no word for them, and they can carry a choice of tense or meaning.

Original-language editions

WLC

וְאָמַ֣רְתִּי אָ֔נִי טוֹבָ֥ה חָכְמָ֖ה מִגְּבוּרָ֑ה וְחָכְמַ֤ת הַמִּסְכֵּן֙ בְּזוּיָ֔ה וּדְבָרָ֖יו אֵינָ֥ם נִשְׁמָעִֽים׃

LXX-Br

Καὶ εἶπα ἐγὼ, ἀγαθὴ σοφία ὑπὲρ δύναμιν· καὶ σοφία τοῦ πένητος ἐξουδενωμένη, καὶ οἱ λόγοι αὐτοῦ οὐκ εἰσακουόμενοι.

In the reference works topics that cite this verse

From public-domain Bible dictionaries and topical indexes (1884–1915).

Cross-references most cited first

• Ecclesiastes 7:19Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers in a city.
• Proverbs 24:5A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge enhances his strength.
• Proverbs 21:22A wise man scales the city of the mighty and pulls down the stronghold in which they trust.
• Mark 6:2–3When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard Him were astonished. “Where did this man get these ideas?” they asked. “What is this wisdom He has been given? And how can He perform such…
• 1 Corinthians 1:26–29Brothers, consider the time of your calling: Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were powerful; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God…
• James 2:2–6Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you lavish attention on the man in fine clothes and say, “Here is a seat of honor,” but say…
• Ecclesiastes 9:18Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.
• John 7:47–49“Have you also been deceived?” replied the Pharisees. “Have any of the rulers or Pharisees believed in Him? But this crowd that does not know the law, they are under a curse.”
• Proverbs 10:15The wealth of the rich man is his fortified city, but poverty is the ruin of the poor.
• John 9:24–34So a second time they called for the man who had been blind and said, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “Whether He is a sinner I do not know. There is one thing I do know: I was…

From the OpenBible.info cross-reference set (votes from readers; not every link is a quotation or allusion).