Bible Strands
Proverbs 24:5
A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge enhances his strength.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The wisdom author addresses a reader, placing this maxim between instructions on filling a house with treasure and preparing for battle.
The words — חָכָם (chacham) means "wise," and מְאַמֵּץ (me'ameitz) means "[is] making firm." These terms establish the verse's direct claim that knowledge actively fortifies a person's capacity.
The thread — The connection between wisdom and strength reappears in Proverbs 8:14, where counsel and insight are paired with strength, and in Ecclesiastes 7:19, which states wisdom makes a wise man stronger than ten rulers.
Why it lands — The text asserts that intellectual and moral discipline produces tangible resilience, demanding the reader treat study and discernment as essential preparation for practical challenges.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength.
Cross-references
- Ecclesiastes 7:19 Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers in a city.
- Colossians 1:11 being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have full endurance and patience, and joyfully
- Proverbs 8:14 Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight and strength.
- Proverbs 21:22 A wise man scales the city of the mighty and pulls down the stronghold in which they trust.
- Isaiah 40:31 But 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.
- Psalms 84:7 They go from strength to strength, until each appears before God in Zion.
- Proverbs 10:29 The way of the LORD is a refuge to the upright, but destruction awaits those who do evil.
- Ecclesiastes 9:14 There was a small city with few men. A mighty king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege ramps against it.