Proverbs 16:3 (DRB)

Passage

Lay open thy works to the Lord: and thy thoughts shall be directed.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 16:1 It is the part of man to prepare the soul: and of the Lord to govern the tongue.

Proverbs 16:2 All the ways of a man are open to his eyes: the Lord is the weigher of spirits.

Proverbs 16:3 Lay open thy works to the Lord: and thy thoughts shall be directed.

Proverbs 16:4 The Lord hath made all things for himself: the wicked also for the evil day.

Proverbs 16:5 Every proud man is an abomination to the Lord: though hand should be joined to hand, he is not innocent. The beginning of a good way is to do justice: and this is more acceptable with God, than to offer sacrifices.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "open", "works", "lord", "thoughts", "shall", and "directed". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "open" and "works", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "All the ways of a man are..." into verse 4's "The Lord hath made all things for...", so "open" and "works" 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 "open" and "works" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.