Passage
The Lord hath made all things for his owne sake: yea, euen the wicked for the day of euill.
Proverbs 16:4 (GNV)
Nearby Context
Proverbs 16:2 All the wayes of a man are cleane in his owne eyes: but the Lord pondereth the spirits.
Proverbs 16:3 Commit thy workes vnto the Lord, and thy thoughts shalbe directed.
Proverbs 16:4 The Lord hath made all things for his owne sake: yea, euen the wicked for the day of euill.
Proverbs 16:5 All that are proude in heart, are an abomination to the Lord: though hand ioyne in hand, he shall not be vnpunished.
Proverbs 16:6 By mercy and trueth iniquitie shalbe forgiuen, and by the feare of the Lord they depart from euill.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "all things", "lord", "hath", "owne", "sake", "euen", "wicked", and "euill". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "all things" and "lord", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Commit thy workes vnto the Lord and..." into verse 5's "All that are proude in heart are...", so "all things" and "lord" 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 "all things" and "lord" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.