Proverbs 18:16 (WEB)

Passage

A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 18:14 A man’s spirit will sustain him in sickness, but a crushed spirit, who can bear?

Proverbs 18:15 The heart of the discerning gets knowledge. The ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

Proverbs 18:16 A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.

Proverbs 18:17 He who pleads his cause first seems right; until another comes and questions him.

Proverbs 18:18 The lot settles disputes, and keeps strong ones apart.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "gift", "makes", "room", "brings", "before", and "great". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "gift" and "makes", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "The heart of the discerning gets knowledge..." into verse 17's "He who pleads his cause first seems...", so "gift" and "makes" 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 "gift" and "makes" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.