Passage
Honest balances and scales are Yahweh’s; all the weights in the bag are his work.
Proverbs 16:11 (WEB)
Nearby Context
Proverbs 16:9 A man’s heart plans his course, but Yahweh directs his steps.
Proverbs 16:10 Inspired judgments are on the lips of the king. He shall not betray his mouth.
Proverbs 16:11 Honest balances and scales are Yahweh’s; all the weights in the bag are his work.
Proverbs 16:12 It is an abomination for kings to do wrong, for the throne is established by righteousness.
Proverbs 16:13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings. They value one who speaks the truth.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "honest", "balances", "scales", "yahweh", and "weights". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "honest" and "balances", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 10's "Inspired judgments are on the lips of..." into verse 12's "It is an abomination for kings to...", so "honest" and "balances" 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 "honest" and "balances" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.