잠언 Chapter 16

Translation: ESV

1

The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD.

Key Message

Humans plan but the response and outcome belong to God. Human freedom and divine sovereignty work together.

▸Chapter 16 opens with a collection of proverbs emphasizing God's sovereignty (vv.

Chapter 16 opens with a collection of proverbs emphasizing God's sovereignty (vv. 1-9). Humans make plans, but whether those plans succeed lies in God's hands. This verse is one of the theological cores of Proverbs, emphasizing both human freedom and divine sovereignty together.

Related Verses

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.
3

Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.

Key Message

The act of trusting God with one's work is what causes plans to be established.

▸Committing one's work to God is the secret of success.

9

The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.

Key Message

Humans plan and God directs. These two truths together form the reality of life.

▸Human planning and God's guidance coexist.

18

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Key Message

Pride inevitably brings destruction. This principle applies to individuals and communities alike as an unchanging truth.

▸This is one of the most famous proverbs in the entire book.

32

Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

Key Message

The inner power of ruling one's own spirit is a greater achievement than any outward valor.

▸This is a paradoxical declaration that self-control is greater than military valor.