Proverbs 16:16 (GNV)

Passage

Howe much better is it to get wisedome then golde? and to get vnderstanding, is more to be desired then siluer.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 16:14 The wrath of a King is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacifie it.

Proverbs 16:15 In the light of the Kings coutenance is life: and his fauour is as a cloude of the latter raine.

Proverbs 16:16 Howe much better is it to get wisedome then golde? and to get vnderstanding, is more to be desired then siluer.

Proverbs 16:17 The pathe of the righteous is to decline from euil, and hee keepeth his soule, that keepeth his way.

Proverbs 16:18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an high minde before the fall.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "howe", "much", "better", "wisedome", "golde", "vnderstanding", "desired", and "siluer". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "howe" and "much", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "In the light of the Kings coutenance..." into verse 17's "The pathe of the righteous is to...", so "howe" and "much" 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 "howe" and "much" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.