Passage
The heart of man plans his way, But Yahweh directs his steps.
Proverbs 16:9 (LSB)
Nearby Context
Proverbs 16:7 When a man’s ways are pleasing to Yahweh, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Proverbs 16:8 Better is a little with righteousness Than great produce with injustice.
Proverbs 16:9 The heart of man plans his way, But Yahweh directs his steps.
Proverbs 16:10 A divine decision is in the lips of the king; His mouth should not err in judgment.
Proverbs 16:11 A just balance and scales belong to Yahweh; All the weights of the bag are His work.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "heart", "plans", "yahweh", "directs", and "steps". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "heart" and "plans", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 8's "Better is a little with righteousness Than..." into verse 10's "A divine decision is in the lips...", so "heart" and "plans" 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 "heart" and "plans" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.