Proverbs 16:9 (WEB)

Passage

A man’s heart plans his course, but Yahweh directs his steps.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 16:7 When a man’s ways please Yahweh, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Proverbs 16:8 Better is a little with righteousness, than great revenues with injustice.

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.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "heart", "plans", "course", "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 "Inspired judgments are on the lips of...", 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.