Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siege works against it. New Living Translation There was a small town with only a few people, and a great king came with his army and besieged it. English Standard Version There was a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it. Berean Standard Bible There was a small city with few men. A mighty king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege ramps against it. King James Bible 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: New King James Version There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it. New American Standard Bible there was a small city with few men in it, and a great king came to it, surrounded it, and constructed large siegeworks against it. NASB 1995 There was a small city with few men in it and a great king came to it, surrounded it and constructed large siegeworks against it. NASB 1977 There was a small city with few men in it and a great king came to it, surrounded it, and constructed large siegeworks against it. Legacy Standard Bible There was a small city with few men in it, and a great king came to it, surrounded it, and built large siegeworks against it. Amplified Bible There was a little city with few men in it and a great king came against it and besieged it and built great battlements against it. Christian Standard Bible There was a small city with few men in it. A great king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege works against it. Holman Christian Standard Bible There was a small city with few men in it. A great king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege works against it. American Standard Version 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. Aramaic Bible in Plain English There was a small city and a few children of men in it, and a great King came to it and he surrounded it and he built bulwarks against it Brenton Septuagint Translation suppose there were a little city, and few men in it; and there should come against it a great king, and surround it, and build great mounds against it; Contemporary English Version It happened when a powerful ruler surrounded and attacked a small city where only a few people lived. The enemy army was getting ready to break through the city walls. Douay-Rheims Bible 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. English Revised Version 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: GOD'S WORD® Translation There was a small town with a few soldiers in it, and a powerful king came to attack it. He surrounded it and blockaded it. Good News Translation There was a little town without many people in it. A powerful king attacked it. He surrounded it and prepared to break through the walls. International Standard Version There was a little city with few men in it. A great king came against it, surrounded it, and built massive siege ramps against it. JPS Tanakh 1917 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; Literal Standard Version A little city, and few men in it, and a great king has come to it, and has surrounded it, and has built against it great bulwarks; Majority Standard Bible There was a small city with few men. A mighty king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege ramps against it. New American Bible Against a small city with few inhabitants advanced a mighty king, who surrounded it and threw up great siegeworks about it. NET Bible There was once a small city with a few men in it, and a mighty king attacked it, besieging it and building strong siege works against it. New Revised Standard Version There was a little city with few people in it. A great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it. New Heart English Bible There was a little city, and few men within it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great siege works against it. Webster's Bible Translation 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: World English Bible There was a little city, and few men within it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it. Young's Literal Translation 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; Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Wisdom is Better than Strength13I have also seen this wisdom under the sun, and it was great to me: 14There was a small city with few men. A mighty king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege ramps against it. 15Now a poor wise man was found in the city, and he saved the city by his wisdom. Yet no one remembered that poor man.… Cross References Luke 19:43 For the days will come upon you when your enemies will barricade you and surround you and hem you in on every side. Deuteronomy 20:20 But you may destroy the trees that you know do not produce fruit. Use them to build siege works against the city that is waging war against you, until it falls. 2 Samuel 20:16 a wise woman called out from the city, "Listen! Listen! Please tell Joab to come here so that I may speak with him." Ecclesiastes 9:13 I have also seen this wisdom under the sun, and it was great to me: Treasury of Scripture 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: there was 2 Samuel 20:15-22 And they came and besieged him in Abel of Bethmaachah, and they cast up a bank against the city, and it stood in the trench: and all the people that were with Joab battered the wall, to throw it down… 2 Kings 6:24-33 And it came to pass after this, that Benhadad king of Syria gathered all his host, and went up, and besieged Samaria… 2 Kings 7:1 Then Elisha said, Hear ye the word of the LORD; Thus saith the LORD, To morrow about this time shall a measure of fine flour be sold for a shekel, and two measures of barley for a shekel, in the gate of Samaria. Jump to Previous Attack Besieged Building Built Bulwarks City Constructed Encompassed Few Great Little Once Powerful Siegeworks Small Surrounded War Within WorksJump to Next Attack Besieged Building Built Bulwarks City Constructed Encompassed Few Great Little Once Powerful Siegeworks Small Surrounded War Within WorksEcclesiastes 9 1. like things happen to good and bad4. there is a necessity of death unto men 7. Comfort is all their portion in this life 11. God's providence rules over all 13. wisdom is better than strength (14) Idle attempts have been made to find a historic reference in this passage. What is here told is so like the story (2 Samuel 20) of the deliverance of Abel-beth-Maachah by a wise woman, whose name, nevertheless, has not been preserved, that we cannot even be sure that the writer had any other real history in his mind.Verse 14. - There was a little city. The substantive verb is, as commonly, omitted. Commentators have amused themselves with endeavoring to identify the city here mentioned. Thus some see herein Athens, saved by the counsel of Themistocles, who was afterwards driven from Athens and died in misery (Justin., 2:12); or Dora, near Mount Carmel, besieged unsuccessfully by Antiochus the Great, B.C. 218, though we know nothing of the circumstances (Polyb., 5:66); but see note on ver. 13. The Septuagint takes the whole paragraph hypothetically, "Suppose there was a little city," etc. Wright well compares the historical allusions to events fresh in the minds of his hearers made by our Lord in his parable of the pounds (Luke 19:12, 14, 15, 27). So we may regard the present section as a parable founded on some historical fact well known at the time when the book was written. A great king. The term points to some Persian or Assyrian potentate; or it may mean merely a powerful general (see 1 Kings 11:24; Job 29:25). Built great bulwarks against it. The Septuagint has χάρακας μεγάλους, "great palisades;" the Vulgate, Extruxitque munitiones per gyrum. What are meant are embankments or mounds raised high enough to overtop the walls of the town, and to command the positions of the besieged. For the same purpose wooden towers were also used (see Deuteronomy 20:20; 2 Samuel 20:15; 2 Kings 19:32; Jeremiah lit. 4). The Vulgate rounds off the account in the text by adding, et perfects est obsidio, " and the beleaguering was completed." Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew There was a smallקְטַנָּ֔ה (qə·ṭan·nāh) Adjective - feminine singular Strong's 6996: Small, young, unimportant city עִ֣יר (‘îr) Noun - feminine singular Strong's 5892: Excitement with few men. מְעָ֑ט (mə·‘āṭ) Adjective - masculine singular Strong's 4592: A little, fewness, a few A mighty גָּדוֹל֙ (gā·ḏō·wl) Adjective - masculine singular Strong's 1419: Great, older, insolent king מֶ֤לֶךְ (me·leḵ) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 4428: A king came וּבָֽא־ (ū·ḇā-) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go against it, אֵלֶ֜יהָ (’ê·le·hā) Preposition | third person feminine singular Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to surrounded it, וְסָבַ֣ב (wə·sā·ḇaḇ) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 5437: To turn about, go around, surround and built וּבָנָ֥ה (ū·ḇā·nāh) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular Strong's 1129: To build large גְּדֹלִֽים׃ (gə·ḏō·lîm) Adjective - masculine plural Strong's 1419: Great, older, insolent siege ramps מְצוֹדִ֥ים (mə·ṣō·w·ḏîm) Noun - masculine plural Strong's 4685: A net, a, fastness, tower against it. עָלֶ֖יהָ (‘ā·le·hā) Preposition | third person feminine singular Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against Links Ecclesiastes 9:14 NIVEcclesiastes 9:14 NLT Ecclesiastes 9:14 ESV Ecclesiastes 9:14 NASB Ecclesiastes 9:14 KJV Ecclesiastes 9:14 BibleApps.com Ecclesiastes 9:14 Biblia Paralela Ecclesiastes 9:14 Chinese Bible Ecclesiastes 9:14 French Bible Ecclesiastes 9:14 Catholic Bible OT Poetry: Ecclesiastes 9:14 There was a little city and few (Ecclesiast. 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