A wise [man] scaleth the city of the mighty,.... Which makes good what is elsewhere said, that "wisdom is better than strength", Ec 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.
Bible Commentary
Proverbs 21:22
Proverbs 21:22
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible · John Gill (1697–1771) · Public Domain
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Proverbs 21 — OverviewProverbs 21 · Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole BibleMiscellaneous Maxims.Proverbs 21 — OverviewProverbs 21 · Little Bible — for children and parentsProverbs 21 is a gallery of contrasts between the way of wisdom and the way of folly. It opens with a stunning declaration: God holds the hearts of kings in His hand. It teaches that God sees through self-justification,…Proverbs 21:22Proverbs 21:22 · Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole BibleNote, 1. Those that have power are apt to promise themselves great
things from their power. The city of the mighty thinks itself
impregnable, and therefore its strength is the confidence thereof, what
it boasts…Proverbs 21:22Proverbs 21:22 · Treasury of Scripture Knowledge2 Samuel 20:16-22; Ecclesiastes 7:19, Ecclesiastes 9:13-18Proverbs 21:22Proverbs 21:22 · Little Bible — for children and parentsMilitary strength and fortifications seem unbeatable, but wisdom finds the way through or over them. This is a proverb about the surprising power of wisdom over brute force — brain over brawn. The mightiest defences in…