Proverbs 21:22

“A wise [man] scaleth the city of the mighty, etc.] Which makes good what is elsewhere said, that “wisdom is better than strength”, (<210916>Ecclesiastes 9:16); and sometimes more is done by prudence and wisdom, by art and cunning, by schemes and stratagems, than by power and force; especially in military affairs, and particularly in besieging and taking fortified cities; when one wise man, by his wisdom, may so order and manage things, as to be able, with a few under his command, to mount the walls of a city and take it, though defended by a mighty garrison in it. This may be applied to, our Lord Jesus Christ entering into the city of a man’s heart, possessed by the strong man armed;…”

“"Wisdom is better than strength" (Ecc 7:19; Ecc 9:15). strength . . . thereof--that in which they confide.”

“Even in war, counsel does more than brute strength. So of the warfare which is carried on in the inner battlefield of the soul. There also wisdom is mighty to the “pulling down of strongholds” (2 Corinthians 10:4, where Paul uses the very words of the Septuagint Version of this passage), and the wise man scales and keeps the city which the strong man armed has seized and made his own. return to 'Top of Page'”

“The strength - The strongest sorts to which the citizens trust. Proverbs 21:25”

“21:22 A wise military strategist can devise ways to defeat stronger forces. This makes wisdom superior to raw power (cp. Eccl 7:12; 9:13-18).”

“Sa2 20:16-22; Ecc 7:19, Ecc 9:13-18 Proverbs 21:23”

“22 A wise man scaleth a city of the mighty; And casteth down the fortress in which they trusted. Ecc 9:14. is a side-piece to this, according to which a single wise man, although poor, may become the deliverer of a city besieged by a great army, and destitute of the means of defence. עלה, seq. acc., means to climb up, Joe 2:7; here, of the scaling of a fortified town, viz., its fortress. עז is that which makes it עיר עז, Isa 26:1 : its armour of protection, which is designated by the genit. מבטחה, as the object and ground of their confidence. The vocalization מבטחה, for mibtachcha (cf. Jer 48:13 with Job 18:14), follows the rule Gesen. 27, Anm. 2b. The suff., as in לאתננּה, Isa 23:17, is…”