He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.

As a city that lieth open and is not compassed with walls, so is a man that cannot refrain his own spirit in speaking.

He that hath no rule over his own spirit is as a city broken down, without walls.

He whose spirit is without restraint is like a city that is broken down and hath no wall.

A city broken down without walls, Is a man without restraint over his spirit!

He whose spirit is uncontrolled is like an unwalled town which has been broken into.

Like a city broken down and without a wall, So is he whose spirit is without restraint.

Just like a city lying in the open and without surrounding walls, so also is a man who is unable to restrain his own spirit in speaking.

He that [hath] no rule over his own spirit [is like] a city [that is] (q) broken down, [and] without walls.
(q) And so is in extreme danger.

He that hath no rule over his own spirit,.... His affections and passions, puts no restraint, unto them, as the word signifies; no guard against them, no fence about them, to curb his curiosity, to check his pride and vanity, to restrain his wrath and anger and revenge, and keep within due bounds his ambition and itch of vainglory;
is like a city that broken down and without walls; into which the may go with pleasure, and which is exposed to the rapine and violence of everyone; and so a man that has no command of himself and passions, but gives the reins to them, is exposed to the enemy of souls, Satan and is liable to every sin, snare and temptation.

The man who has no command over his anger, is easily robbed of peace. Let us give up ourselves to the Lord, and pray him to put his Spirit within us, and cause us to walk in his statutes.

Such are exposed to the incursions of evil thoughts and successful temptations.

This verse, counselling restraint as to the spirit, is connected with the foregoing, which counsels to self-control as to enjoyment:
A city broken through, now without walls -
A man without self-control over his spirit.
A "city broken down" is one whose wall is "broken," 2-Chronicles 32:5, whether it has met with breaches (פּרצים), or is wholly broken; in the former case also the city is incapable of being defended, and it is all one as if it had no wall. Such a city is like a man "who hath no control over his own spirit" (for the accentuation of the Hebrews. words here, vid., Thorath Emeth, p. 10): cujus spiritui nulla cohibitio (Schultens), i.e., qui animum suum cohibere non potest (Fleischer: עצר, R. צר, to press together, to oppress, and thereby to hold back). As such a city can be plundered and laid waste without trouble, so a man who knows not to hold in check his desires and affections is in constant danger of blindly following the impulse of his unbridled sensuality, and of being hurried forward to outbreaks of passion, and thus of bringing unhappiness upon himself. There are sensual passions (e.g., drunkenness), intellectual (e.g., ambition), mingled (e.g., revenge); but in all of these a false ego rules, which, instead of being held down by the true and better ego, rises to unbounded supremacy.
(Note: Vid., Drbal's Empirische Psychologie, 137.)
Therefore the expression used is not לנפשׁו, but לרוּחו; desire has its seat in the soul, but in the spirit it grows into passion, which in the root of all its diversities is selfishness (Psychol. p. 199); self-control is accordingly the ruling of the spirit, i.e., the restraining (keeping down) of the false enslaved ego-life by the true and free, and powerful in God Himself.