Psalms 37:16 (ASV)

Passage

Better is a little that the righteous hath Than the abundance of many wicked.

Nearby Context

Psalms 37:14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, To cast down the poor and needy, To slay such as are upright in the way.

Psalms 37:15 Their sword shall enter into their own heart, And their bows shall be broken.

Psalms 37:16 Better is a little that the righteous hath Than the abundance of many wicked.

Psalms 37:17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken; But Jehovah upholdeth the righteous.

Psalms 37:18 Jehovah knoweth the days of the perfect; And their inheritance shall be for ever.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "better", "little", "righteous", "hath", "than", "abundance", and "wicked". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "better" and "little", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Their sword shall enter into their own..." into verse 17's "For the arms of the wicked shall...", so "better" and "little" belong inside that flow. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "better" and "little" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.