Proverbs 16:4 NIV

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Proverbs 16:4

Himself. Same word as "answer" (Proverbs 16:1 ) = His decree, or His own end. See note on Proverbs 16:1 . the wicked =. a lawless one. Hebrew. rasha'. App-44 . evil. Hebrew. raa'. App-44 . read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Proverbs 16:4

"Jehovah hath made every thing for its own end; Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil."Yes indeed, God needs even the wicked. A woman once asked Adam Clarke, "Why does not God just kill all the wicked people and allow us righteous to build a heaven right here on earth"? Clarke replied, "Lady, if God were to be so foolish as to do that, there would not be enough righteous people left to keep the lions and tigers from eating up the human race"! read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Proverbs 16:4

Proverbs 16:4. The Lord hath made all things for himself, &c.— The Lord ordereth all things so as to suit his own will; yea, even the wicked for the day of vengeance. Patrick. The Lord hath made all things according to their correspondency; yea, even the wicked are fitted for, or correspond to, the day of evil. Le Cene, p. 165. The meaning, according to Schultens, is, that God hath so formed and fashioned this universe, that every thing in it has its due connection and correspondence: evil... read more

Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Proverbs 16:4

4. for himself—"for its answer," or "purpose," that is, according to God's plan; the wicked are for the day of evil (Psalms 49:5; Jeremiah 17:18); sinning and suffering answer to each other, are indissolubly united. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Proverbs 16:1-16

B. How to Please God 16:1-22:16There is a shift in emphasis in Solomon’s anthology here. Pleasing God (cf. 1 Corinthians 7:33; Colossians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 2:4; 1 John 3:22) becomes a greater factor in the proverbs that follow, whereas those in chapters 10-15 had living successfully more in view. Nevertheless, this is only a change in proportion of emphasis. Both ends are present in both sections of the book (chs. 10-15 and Proverbs 16:1 to Proverbs 22:16). read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Proverbs 16:1-33

1. Trusting God ch. 16In this chapter, there is also a slight change in the form of the proverbs. Solomon expressed the earlier proverbs (chs. 10-15) mainly in antithetical parallelisms, but the proverbs in this section are mainly synonymous and synthetic parallelisms. Instead of the key word being "but" it now becomes "and." read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Proverbs 16:1-33

1-9. God’s control of human life.1. Read, ’the preparations of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.’ Man prepares his plans, but the decisive, final word is suggested by God. ’There’s a divinity that shapes our ends, roughhew them as we will.’2. Cp. 1 Corinthians 4:4.4. Read, ’The Lord hath made everything for its own end.’ God is the absolute Sovereign (Amos 3:6). The wicked are created for punishment (Exodus 9:16; Ezekiel 38:16; Ezekiel 39:21; Romans 9:17).... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Proverbs 16:4

(4) The Lord hath made all things for himself—i.e., to serve His own purposes, that His wisdom, goodness, &c, may be thereby revealed. Or the passage may be translated, “hath made all for its own end or purpose.” The assertion that “He has made the wicked for the day of evil,” does not mean that He created any one for punishment—i.e., predestined him for destruction. It only teaches that even the wicked are subservient to God’s eternal purposes; that Pharaoh, for instance, by his rebellion... read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Bible Commentary - Proverbs 16:1-33

CHAPTER 17A JUST BALANCE"A just balance and scales are the Lord’s: all the weights of the bag are His work."- Proverbs 16:11"A false balance is an abomination to the Lord: but a just weight is His delight."- Proverbs 11:1"Diverse weights, and divers measures, both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord."- Proverbs 20:10"Diverse weights are an abomination to the Lord; and a false balance is not good."- Proverbs 20:23THE sixteenth chapter opens-and we may annex to it the last verse of... read more

Arno Clemens Gaebelein

Arno Gaebelein's Annotated Bible - Proverbs 16:1-33

CHAPTER 16 In the Light of the Lord The name Jehovah (LORD) appears eleven times in this chapter of Proverbs. The Lord has the final word, for to man belong the preparations (or plans) of the heart; but from the LORD is the answer of the tongue. It is the same thought as in our English proverb--“Man proposes--God disposes.” Man loves to justify himself, his ways are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits; He is the judge of ways and motives. Our works are to be committed... read more