Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.

Better is wisdom, than weapons of war: and he that shall offend in one, shall lose many good things.

Better is wisdom than weapons of conflict, And one sinner destroyeth much good!

Wisdom is better than instruments of war, but one sinner is the destruction of much good.

Wisdom is better than weapons of war. And whoever offends in one thing, shall lose many good things.

Sinner - The word in the original indicates intellectual as well as moral error.

Wisdom is better than weapons of war - So proved in the case of Archimedes.
But one sinner - Such as the Roman butcher above mentioned.
Destroyeth much good - Such as were the life and skill of the Syracusan mathematician. One sinner has often injured the work of God; one stumbling-block has sometimes destroyed a revival of religion. Sin acts like a ferment; whatever comes in contact with it, it assimilates to itself.

Wisdom is better than weapons of war,.... And does what they cannot do; of which the wisdom of the poor wise man is a full proof, which delivered the city from a potent prince, when weapons of war could not: see Ecclesiastes 7:10;
but one sinner destroyeth much good: his own soul by his sins, and the souls of others by his counsels, example, and conversation, which corrupt good manners; so does one sinner in a family, neighbourhood, and town; as one poor wise man does much good, one sinner mars much; one Achan in a camp or army, one bad counsel for in a cabinet, one false teacher in the church, will do a great deal of mischief, as well as one debauchee in a town or city. The Vulgate Latin version is, "who sins in one"; offends or sins in one, as in James 2:10; so the Syriac version, "one sin destroys much good", or many good things; and to the same purpose the Arabic version, "he that committeth one sin".

one sinner, &c.-- (Joshua 7:1, Joshua 7:11-12). Though wisdom excels folly (Ecclesiastes 9:16; Ecclesiastes 7:19), yet a "little folly (equivalent to sin) can destroy much good," both in himself (Ecclesiastes 10:1; James 2:10) and in others. "Wisdom" must, from the antithesis to "sinner," mean religion. Thus typically, the "little city" may be applied to the Church (Luke 12:32; Hebrews 12:22); the great king to Satan (John 12:31); the despised poor wise man, Jesus Christ (Isaiah 53:2-3; Mark 6:3; 2-Corinthians 8:9; Ephesians 1:7-8; Colossians 2:3).

The following proverb also leans on the history above narrated: "Better is wisdom than weapons of war; and one sinner destroyeth much good." The above history has shown by way of example that wisdom accomplishes more than implements of war, כּלי ק = כּלי מל (Assyr. unut tahazi)
(Note: Vid., Fried. Delitzsch's Assyr. Stud. p. 129.)
i.e., than all the apparatus belonging to preparation for war. But the much good which a wise man is accomplishing or has accomplished, one sinner (חוטא)
(Note: The Syr. (not the Targ.) had חטא before it, and thus realized it, which appears to correspond better with the parall. חכמה.)
by treachery or calumny may render vain, or may even destroy, through mere malicious pleasure in evil. This is a synthetic distich whose two parts may be interpreted independently. As wisdom accomplishes something great, so a single villain may have a far-reaching influence, viz., such as destroys much good.