Ecclesiastes 9:14 Made Simple

KJV ORIGINAL

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:

Close to the original. Clear modern English.

✦ MADE SIMPLE

There was a small city with only a few people living in it. A powerful king came to attack it, surrounded it completely, and built huge siege walls against it.

⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE

The writer is telling a story about a small, vulnerable city that faced an overwhelming enemy attack.

📚 Historical Context

This appears to be a parable or illustration that Solomon uses to make a point about wisdom versus strength. In ancient times, siege warfare was common, where armies would surround cities and build siege works (bulwarks) to break through the walls. Small cities with few defenders were especially vulnerable to powerful kings with large armies.

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1 Chronicles 20:1

When spring came around—the time when kings usually go out to war—Joab led the army and devastated the land of the Ammonites. He came and surrounded their capital city, Rabbah. But David stayed behind in Jerusalem. Joab attacked Rabbah and completely destroyed it.

1 Chronicles 29:30

Along with all the details of his reign and his power, and the events that happened during his time—both to him and to Israel, and to all the kingdoms of the surrounding nations.

Psalms 22:12

Many bulls have surrounded me; powerful bulls from Bashan have closed in on me from all sides.

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