Psalms 37:16
Better is the little of the righteous than the abundance of many who are wicked.
BSB
ASV
Better is a little that the righteous hath Than the abundance of many wicked.
KJV
A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.
(Vers. 16.) It is better to be a little just, than to have many riches from the sins of the wicked. Therefore, riches are not condemned, but the riches of sinners; unless perhaps because a sinner said: All these things have been delivered to me, and I give them to whomever I wish (Luke 4:6). Furthermore, since riches inflame the torch of greed more, and each person desires greater things, they do not turn away from the paths of sin. Hence, the Savior said: Make friends for yourselves with the mammon of wickedness (Luke 16:9).
When evil-doers are cut off the righteous sometimes inherit what they gathered. The wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just, Job xxvii. This promise is here made, 1.
A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked. This is a fine proverb. The little of one good man is contrasted with the riches of many wicked, and so the expression is rendered the more forcible. There is more happiness in the godly dinner of herbs than in the stalled ox of profane rioters.
Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.
The walk8
Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.
Through
1 Timothy 6:6Of course, godliness with contentment is great gain.
leads to
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
Better a little with righteousness than great gain with injustice.
Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.
I am not saying this out of need, for I have learned to be content regardless of my circumstances.
But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added unto you.
Through
Proverbs 16:8Better a little with righteousness than great gain with injustice.
leads to
Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure with turmoil.
Of course, godliness with contentment is great gain.
Through
Ecclesiastes 4:6Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and pursuit of the wind.
leads to
Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure with turmoil.
