Chapter Sixteen

1–3. About God as the Lord of all the life paths of humans. 4–9. About the wise and righteous recompense of God for human deeds, good and evil. 10–15. About kings as mediators or instruments of God’s governance of the world. 16–26. God’s righteousness in relation to the wise and to fools. 27–33. The unequal fate of the righteous and the unrighteous.

Proverbs 16:1. To humans belong the intentions of the heart, but from the Lord comes the response of the tongue. Proverbs 16:2. All the ways of a person seem pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirits. Proverbs 16:3. Commit your deeds to the Lord, and your plans will be established. In view of the undoubted fact of the striking dependence of human fates on God (v. 1, compare Jer 10:23), and also given that only God possesses the true assessment of the actual worth of human intentions and actions (v. 2), the Wise One teaches his listeners to complete submission to the Providence of God, promising all success in their undertakings (v. 3, compare Ps 21:9).

Proverbs 16:4. The Lord has made everything for His own sake; even the wicked He guards for the day of calamity. Proverbs 16:5. An abomination to the Lord is every proud heart; surely, he will not go unpunished. [The beginning of a good way is to do what is right; this is more pleasing to God than to bring sacrifices. Those who seek the Lord will find knowledge together with righteousness; truly those who seek Him will find peace.] Proverbs 16:6. By mercy and truth sin is cleansed, and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil. Proverbs 16:7. When a person’s ways are pleasing to the Lord, He reconciles even his enemies with him. Proverbs 16:8. Better is a little with righteousness than much abundance with wrongdoing. Proverbs 16:9. The heart of a person plans his path, but the Lord directs his steps. From the general principle that everything created by God has its purposes and destinies (v. 4), with a warning against the destructiveness of arrogance (v. 5), the image of positive pleasing of God by a person is derived: mercy and righteousness toward neighbors (v. 6a), united with the fear of God (6b), the consequence of which will be peace, even reconciliation of enemies (v. 7). Then once again the thought is repeated that the life and intentions of a person depend entirely on God (v. 9).

Proverbs 16:10. In the mouth of a king is inspired speech; his mouth should not err in judgment. Proverbs 16:11. Honest scales and weights come from the Lord; all the weights in the bag are His doing. Proverbs 16:12. An abomination to kings is to do wrong, for righteousness establishes the throne. Proverbs 16:13. Righteous lips are pleasing to a king, and he loves those who speak the truth. Proverbs 16:14. The wrath of a king is a messenger of death; but a wise person will appease it. Proverbs 16:15. In the bright face of a king is life, and his favor is like a cloud with late rain. A series of sayings of political and social content follows: chiefly concerning royal authority. The king here, as in other places in the book of Proverbs (Prov 20:28), is presented as an ideal moral force, embodiment and guardian of the moral order of the world, an instrument of God’s governance of the world. The king is directly ascribed a supernatural, as it were prophetic power and force, Hebrew: gesem, Greek: μαντειον, Vulgate: divinatio, Slavonic: prophecy (v. 10): as the appointee and representative of God on earth, the theocratic king, in matters of governance and judgment, gives decisions that are unquestionable and above doubt (compare 1 Sam 3:27 7). In connection with this it is noted that all social relationships (for example, buying and selling) should be pervaded by a spirit of honesty and justice (v. 11, compare Prov 11:1). In v. 12–13 – in the first from a negative side, and in the second from a positive one – the thought is expressed that the king is an infallible measure of moral righteousness, and therefore every wrong is abhorrent to him, and he is favorable only to those who do what is right and speak the truth. Accordingly, in v. 14–15 the opposite relations are characterized: on one hand threatening and punishing, on the other benevolent and merciful regarding manifestations of evil and good. The expression “the wrath of a king is a messenger of death” (v. 14) is best explained from the customs of despotic rulers of the East (compare Esth 7:7).

Proverbs 16:16. The gaining of wisdom is far better than gold, and the gaining of understanding is more to be chosen than fine silver. Proverbs 16:17. The path of the righteous is to turn away from evil: whoever guards his way protects his own soul. Proverbs 16:18. Destruction is preceded by pride, and a fall by arrogance. Proverbs 16:19. Better to be humble in spirit with the meek than to share spoils with the proud. Proverbs 16:20. Whoever conducts matters wisely will find what is good, and whoever trusts in the Lord is blessed. Proverbs 16:21. The one wise in heart will be called prudent, and pleasant speech adds to learning. Proverbs 16:22. Understanding for those who have it is a source of life, but the learning of fools is folly. Proverbs 16:23. The heart of the wise makes his tongue wise and multiplies knowledge in his mouth. Proverbs 16:24. Pleasant speech is honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Proverbs 16:25. There are paths that seem straight to a person, but their end is the way to death. Proverbs 16:26. The laborer labors for himself, because his appetite drives him to it. The high esteem of wisdom (v. 16) is found in the Wise One more than once (compare Prov 3:14). Among the individual manifestations of wisdom, righteousness and piety – turning away from evil – is placed first (v. 17). The destructiveness of pride, which inevitably leads to a fall (Esth 3:1), is especially emphasized (v. 16), and humility and gentleness, which secure for a person a peaceful state of mind and contentment, are praised. This moral happiness is secured partly by wise and well-considered labor in life, and chiefly by a person’s firm trust in God: these two factors, the human and the divine, mutually presuppose each other (v. 20). Furthermore, it is noted that in the matter of teaching wisdom the external form in which the teaching is presented has significance (v. 21). The high practical usefulness of wisdom is marked (v. 22), together with the pleasantness and salutary nature – like honey, which is pleasant and brings healing (v. 24). After this, a warning is given against self-deception (v. 25), and the drive to physical labor is noted – in the sense of self-preservation (v. 26).

Proverbs 16:27. A deceitful person devises evil, and his words are like a scorching fire. Proverbs 16:28. A treacherous person sows discord, and a gossip separates friends. Proverbs 16:29. A malicious person leads his neighbor astray and makes him go on a path that is not good; Proverbs 16:30. he squints his eyes to devise deceit; biting his lips, he carries out evil; [he is a furnace of malice]. Proverbs 16:31. A crown of glory is gray hair, found in the way of righteousness. Proverbs 16:32. The patient person is better than the brave, and the one who controls himself is better than the conqueror of a city. Proverbs 16:33. The lot is cast in the lap, but all its decision is from the Lord. In verses 27–30 a characterization is given of three types of malice: the person who plots harm against his neighbor (v. 27), the slanderer, agitator and stirrer of discord (v. 28), and the oppressor and violent person (v. 29), with their distinctive manner of behavior noted (v. 30, compare Prov 6:12-13). In contrast to the destruction awaiting all such people, the lot of the righteous and pious is honorable old age and long life (v. 31); the highest moral self-control – learning to control oneself is more difficult than demonstrating courage in battle and taking fortresses (v. 32). In the Mishnah (tractate Avot, ch. IV, §1) to the question: who is strong? the answer is given: the one who overcomes his yetzer (that is, the inclination toward evil), for it is said: “The patient person is better than the brave, and the one who controls himself is better than the conqueror of a city” (Prov 16:32). The concluding verse (v. 33), especially its second half, expresses the main thought of the entire chapter 16. * * * The Midrash (5, 50) here rightly sees an indication of the wisdom of the wisest of kings – Solomon.