A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge enhances his strength.
Parallel translations
- WEB A wise man has great power; and a knowledgeable man increases strength;
- KJV A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.
- NKJV A wise man is strong, Yes, a man of knowledge increases strength;
- NASB ¶A wise man is strong, And a person of knowledge increases power.
- NLT The wise are mightier than the strong, and those with knowledge grow stronger and stronger.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Wisdom and knowledge make a person stronger than mere physical might.
Overview
True power lies in wisdom, not just in strength, and knowledge increases a person's effective force. The proverb elevates discernment above raw ability. This anticipates the gospel truth that God's wisdom, seen as weakness by the world, is in fact the greater power for salvation and life (1 Cor. 1:25).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Eccl 7:19Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers in a city.
- Col 1:11being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have full endurance and patience, and joyfully
- Prov 21:22A wise man scales the city of the mighty and pulls down the stronghold in which they trust.
- Prov 8:14Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight and strength.
- Isa 40:31But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.
- Ps 84:7They go from strength to strength, until each appears before God in Zion.
- Prov 10:29The way of the LORD is a refuge to the upright, but destruction awaits those who do evil.
- Eccl 9:14–18There was a small city with few men. A mighty king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege ramps against it.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 24:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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