Proverbs 17:3 (KJV)

Passage

The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 17:1 Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife.

Proverbs 17:2 A wise servant shall have rule over a son that causeth shame, and shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren.

Proverbs 17:3 The fining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold: but the LORD trieth the hearts.

Proverbs 17:4 A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.

Proverbs 17:5 Whoso mocketh the poor reproacheth his Maker: and he that is glad at calamities shall not be unpunished.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "fining", "silver", "furnace", "gold", "lord", "trieth", and "hearts". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "fining" and "silver", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "A wise servant shall have rule over..." into verse 4's "A wicked doer giveth heed to false...", so "fining" and "silver" 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 "fining" and "silver" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.