Passage
When a man's ways please Jehovah, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Proverbs 16:7 (DBY)
Nearby Context
Proverbs 16:5 Every proud heart is an abomination to Jehovah: hand for hand, he shall not be held innocent.
Proverbs 16:6 By loving-kindness and truth iniquity is atoned for; and by the fear of Jehovah [men] depart from evil.
Proverbs 16:7 When a man's ways please Jehovah, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Proverbs 16:8 Better is a little with righteousness, than great revenues without right.
Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man deviseth his way, but Jehovah directeth his steps.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "man's", "ways", "please", "jehovah", "maketh", "even", "enemies", and "peace". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "man's" and "ways", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 6's "By loving-kindness and truth iniquity is atoned..." into verse 8's "Better is a little with righteousness than...", so "man's" and "ways" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "man's" and "ways" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.