Proverbs 27:16 (LSB)

Passage

He who would restrain her restrains the wind, And grasps oil with his right hand.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 27:14 He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, It will be counted as a curse to him.

Proverbs 27:15 A constant dripping on a day of steady rain And a contentious woman are alike;

Proverbs 27:16 He who would restrain her restrains the wind, And grasps oil with his right hand.

Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.

Proverbs 27:18 He who guards the fig tree will eat its fruit, And he who keeps watch for his master will be honored.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "restrain", "restrains", "wind", "grasps", "right", and "hand". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "restrain" and "restrains", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "A constant dripping on a day of..." into verse 17's "Iron sharpens iron So one man sharpens...", so "restrain" and "restrains" 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 "restrain" and "restrains" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.