Proverbs 11:16
in Proverbs 11A gracious woman attains honor, but ruthless men gain only wealth.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
A gracious woman obtaineth honor; And violent men obtain riches.
KJV
A gracious woman retaineth honour: and strong men retain riches.
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This verse in Proverbs 11
Commentary
4 notes on this verseA gracious woman retaineth honor - Instead of this clause, the Septuagint have, Γυνη ευχαριστος εγειρει ανδρι δοζαν, “A gracious woman raiseth up honor to the man;” Θρονος δε ατιμιας γυνη μισουσα δικαια, “But she that hateth righteous things is a throne of dishonor.” A good wife is an honor to her husband; and a bad wife is her husband’s reproach: if this be so, how careful should a man be whom he marries!
This site's exposition
He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it
on Proverbs 11:15-16
He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it repeats the book's standing warning against pledging for a debt not one's own, first given at 6:1-5, and he that hateth suretiship is sure states the safer course bluntly. A gracious woman retaineth honour stands beside it, and strong men retain riches by a different kind of strength, so that the pairing credits grace and might each with what they are actually able to keep.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
A gracious woman retaineth honour,.... Or "a woman of grace" (s) one that has the grace of God in her heart, and is of a virtuous conversation, and by both amiable and lovely to others; as she receives honour or glory from them, which she deserves, so she retains the same.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Or, “The gracious woman wins and keeps honor, as (the conjunction may be so rendered) strong men win riches.”
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
draws near to honor Heb. תתמך. The people of Israel constantly draw near to the honor of the Holy One, blessed be He, and His Torah. (
2 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
will be broken by it The wicked man who gave his heart as surety to idolatry.
does himself good He does good to his kin. A kind man lit. a man of kindness, a man who is kind.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 1 further source is cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אֵֽשֶׁת־ | ʾeshet- | a woman of | H802 → | 781 times |
| חֵ֭ן | chen | grace | H2580 → | 69 times |
| תִּתְמֹ֣ךְ | titmokh | she lays hold of | H8551 → | 21 times |
| כָּב֑וֹד | kavod | honor | H3519 → | 200 times |
| וְ֝עָרִיצִ֗ים | vearitzim | and ruthless [people] | H6184 → | |
| יִתְמְכוּ־ | yitmekhu- | they take hold of | H8551 → | 21 times |
| עֹֽשֶׁר׃ | ʾosher | wealth | H6239 → | 37 times |
אֵֽשֶׁת־a woman of
ʾeshet-H802 →781 times
חֵ֭ןgrace
chenH2580 →69 times
תִּתְמֹ֣ךְshe lays hold of
titmokhH8551 →21 times
כָּב֑וֹדhonor
kavodH3519 →200 times
וְ֝עָרִיצִ֗יםand ruthless [people]
vearitzimH6184 →
יִתְמְכוּ־they take hold of
yitmekhu-H8551 →21 times
עֹֽשֶׁר׃wealth
ʾosherH6239 →37 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Luke 10:42But only one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her.”
it leads to
- Psalms 27:4
One thing I have asked of the LORD; this is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the…
- Psalms 16:5–6
The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure.
- John 10:27–28
My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.
- John 4:14
But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”
- Psalms 73:25
Whom have I in heaven but You? And on earth I desire no one besides You.
- Psalms 27:4
Through
Acts 9:39So Peter got up and went with them. On his arrival, they took him to the upper room. All the widows stood around him, weeping and showing him the tunics and other clothing that…
it leads to
- Ephesians 4:28
He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.
- 1 Thessalonians 1:3
and continually recalling before our God and Father your work of faith, your labor of love, and your enduring hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Proverbs 31:30–31
Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
- Ephesians 4:28
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Proverbs of Solomon and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).