Ecclesiastes 9:14

What does Ecclesiastes 9:14 mean?

A plain-English look at Ecclesiastes 9:14 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it.

KJV

King James Version · 1611

There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it:

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it.

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

There was a little town and the number of its men was small, and there came a great king against it and made an attack on it, building works of war round about it.

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

A little city, and few men in it, and a great king hath come unto it, and hath surrounded it, and hath built against it great bulwarks;

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

A little city, and few men in it: there came against it a great king, and invested it, and built bulwarks round about it, and the siege was perfect.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and encompassed it, and built great bulwarks against it:

Context

v.13I have also seen wisdom under the sun on this wise, and it seemed great unto me:

v.14This passage

v.15Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • 2 Kings 6:24

    And it came to pass after this, that Ben-hadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria.

  • 2 Samuel 20:15

    And they came and besieged him in Abel of Beth-maacah, and they cast up a mound against the city, and it stood against the rampart; and all the people that were with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down.

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