Ecclesiastes 7:19

Wisdom strengtheneth the wise The fact that the Debater had not forgotten that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 1:7; Psalms 111:10; Job 28:21) serves as the connecting link between this and the preceding verse. The "ten mighty men" stand as a vague number, certus pro incerto(comp. Genesis 31:7; Numbers 14:22), and it is a fantastic line of interpretation to connect them with any definite political organization, Assyrian viceroys, Persian vice-satraps, Roman decurions, or the like. It is, however, an interesting coincidence, pointed out by Mr Tyler, that a city was defined by the Mishna (Megilai. 3) to be a town in which there were ten Batlanim, or men of leisure, to constitute a synagogue. A striking parallel is found in Sir 37:14, "A man's mind is wont to tell him more than seven men that sit upon a tower." What is meant is generally that the wisdom that fears God is better than mere force, that moral strength is in the long run mightier than material. Wise statesmen may do more than generals.