Proverbs 16:4 kjv
The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.
Proverbs 16:4 nkjv
The LORD has made all for Himself, Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom.
Proverbs 16:4 niv
The LORD works out everything to its proper end? even the wicked for a day of disaster.
Proverbs 16:4 esv
The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.
Proverbs 16:4 nlt
The LORD has made everything for his own purposes,
even the wicked for a day of disaster.
Proverbs 16 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Is 45:7 | "I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity; I am the Lord, who does all these things." | God's authorship of all things, including calamity. |
| Rom 9:17 | "For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, 'For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.'" | God's raising of even wicked rulers for His purpose. |
| Rom 9:22 | "What if God, desiring to show His wrath and to make known His power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?" | God's righteous use of the wicked. |
| Eph 1:11 | "In Him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will..." | God's all-encompassing purpose and counsel. |
| Ps 33:10-11 | "The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands forever..." | God's eternal and unchangeable counsel. |
| Is 14:24 | "The Lord of hosts has sworn: 'As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand...'" | God's unwavering plans and purposes. |
| Dan 4:35 | "He does according to His will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay His hand or say to Him, 'What have You done?'" | God's absolute authority and irresistible will. |
| Rev 4:11 | "Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created." | God as the creator for His own will and glory. |
| Is 46:10 | "Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all My purpose...'" | God's complete foreknowledge and determined purpose. |
| Ps 76:10 | "Surely the wrath of man shall praise You; the remainder of wrath You will put an end to." | God utilizing even human wickedness for His praise. |
| Jude 1:4 | "For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality..." | Predetermined judgment for ungodly individuals. |
| 1 Pet 2:8 | "...a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.' They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do." | Some are destined to disobedience leading to stumbling. |
| Pro 1:31 | "So they shall eat the fruit of their own way, and have their fill of their own devices." | The consequence of the wicked is their own doing, leading to their demise. |
| Jer 25:31 | "The clamor will reach to the ends of the earth, for the Lord has an indictment against the nations; He is entering into judgment with all flesh, and the wicked He will give to the sword..." | God's global judgment against the wicked. |
| Joel 2:1-2 | "Blow a trumpet in Zion... for the day of the Lord is coming, indeed it is near, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness..." | "Day of evil" equated to "day of the Lord" for judgment. |
| Matt 25:41 | "Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’" | The eternal destination prepared for the wicked. |
| Ps 9:17 | "The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God." | The ultimate fate and demise of the wicked. |
| Ecc 3:1 | "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven..." | God's ordained times for all events, including judgment. |
| Is 10:5-7 | "Ah, Assyria, the rod of my anger; the club in their hand is my fury! Against a godless nation I send him..." | God using a wicked nation (Assyria) as His instrument. |
| Zech 1:6 | "But My words and My statutes, which I commanded My servants the prophets, did they not overtake your fathers? So that they repented and said, 'As the Lord of hosts purposed to deal with us for our ways and our deeds, so He has dealt with us.'" | God's word and purpose bringing deserved outcomes. |
| Hab 1:12-13 | "Are you not from everlasting, O Lord my God... Your eyes are too pure to behold evil, and You cannot look on wrongdoing with favor... then why do You look on the treacherous?" | God's holiness contrasts with His allowing evil, which He then justly judges. |
| Is 54:16 | "I Myself have created the blacksmith who fans the coals into flame and forges a weapon for its purpose. I also have created the ravager to destroy." | God creates both the means and instruments of destruction. |
| Rom 2:5 | "But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed." | "Day of wrath" as the ultimate day of judgment for the impenitent. |
| Ecc 7:14 | "In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him." | God ordains both good times and difficult times. |
Proverbs 16 verses
Proverbs 16 4 Meaning
Proverbs 16:4 declares God's absolute sovereignty, stating that He has made everything for His own purpose, including the wicked for the day of evil. This signifies that nothing exists outside of God's comprehensive plan, and even the existence and ultimate fate of those who reject Him serve His righteous will and justice. It underlines the Creator's control over all creation and His predetermined counsel.
Proverbs 16 4 Context
Proverbs chapter 16 focuses extensively on the sovereignty of God over human thoughts, plans, and outcomes, contrasting human intentions with divine direction. The surrounding verses discuss God weighing the spirit (v. 2), committing works to the Lord for success (v. 3), and acknowledging God's guidance in steps (v. 9). Verse 4 acts as a foundational statement of God's overarching purpose and control over all aspects of creation, setting the stage for understanding His role in human life, especially in relation to righteousness and wickedness. Historically, this wisdom teaching would have addressed a community struggling with justice and the prosperity of the wicked, assuring them of God's ultimate oversight and coming judgment. It implicitly challenged polytheistic or idolatrous beliefs where outcomes were left to capricious gods or random chance, instead presenting a singular, sovereign Lord who has a determined purpose for all things.
Proverbs 16 4 Word analysis
- The LORD (יְהוָ֣ה, YHWH): Refers to the personal, covenantal name of God in Hebrew scripture. This signifies His self-existent, eternal, and unchanging nature. Its use here emphasizes that it is this God, the God of Israel, who exercises such absolute and deliberate control, distinct from pagan deities or a mere abstract force.
- has made (פָּעַ֣ל, pā‘al): This verb means "to do," "to make," "to effect," or "to accomplish." It implies a deliberate, purposeful action and creation. It’s not accidental or emergent; rather, it indicates an intentional crafting and shaping of everything.
- everything (כֹּ֖ל, kōl): Encompasses absolute totality, leaving nothing outside of God's making or His ultimate design. This signifies the comprehensiveness of His sovereignty over all things, animate or inanimate, moral or physical.
- for its purpose (לַמַּֽעֲנֵ֑הוּ, lamma‘ănehū): This phrase indicates "for its answer," "for its reason," "for its sake," or "for its purpose." Everything God made has an inherent, divinely ordained reason for existing. There is no randomness in God’s creative act; it is all goal-oriented towards His grand design.
- yes, even (וְגַם֙, wəḡam): An emphatic conjunction, strengthening the previous statement and extending it to include something unexpected or potentially controversial, highlighting the radical scope of God's sovereignty.
- the wicked (רָשָׁ֔ע, rāšā‘): Refers to morally corrupt individuals, those who live in opposition to God's ways and law. Their inclusion emphasizes that God's plan is not limited to the righteous but encompasses even the ungodly, whose very existence and actions ultimately serve His purposes.
- for the day of evil (לְי֣וֹם רָ֑ע, ləyōm rā‘): This is a critical phrase. "Day of evil" does not imply God created moral evil or that He is the author of sin. Instead, rā‘ (evil/bad) in this context refers to disaster, calamity, judgment, or destruction, particularly the specific day of reckoning or punishment for the wicked. It is the day when divine justice is enacted. God's ultimate purpose for the wicked is their final accountability and judgment, which also demonstrates His holiness and righteousness.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- The LORD has made everything for its purpose: This emphasizes God's intelligent design and teleological approach to creation. It implies an ultimate, comprehensive goal behind all existence. No creation is purposeless in God's eyes. This foundational truth underscores His majesty as Creator and His infinite wisdom in ordering all things towards their predestined end.
- yes, even the wicked for the day of evil: This seemingly jarring extension of God's sovereignty highlights His control over human rebellion and its consequences. It teaches that even though humanity may choose sin, God incorporates those choices and their outcomes into His larger, perfect plan. The "day of evil" is not about God forcing someone to be wicked, but about Him appointing a fixed time and outcome for those who choose wickedness, where His justice will be perfectly displayed. It reaffirms divine justice, demonstrating that persistent defiance of God does not escape His final judgment and that such judgment is part of His decreed purpose.
Proverbs 16 4 Bonus section
The Hebrew word for "purpose" (lamma‘ănehū) can also carry the nuance of "answer" or "response." In this context, it subtly implies that all creation, in its very being, provides an "answer" or fulfillment of God's ultimate will. The verse highlights that the telos (end or goal) of everything God creates is determined by Him alone. This verse powerfully stands against any dualistic understanding of the universe (where good and evil powers are equally opposing) or purely deterministic philosophical systems that exclude a personal, purposeful God. Instead, it positions YHWH as the solitary sovereign over all, weaving even the rebellion of humanity into the tapestry of His predetermined plan, not by coercing sin, but by foreordaining its just end. It's a foundational statement of God's majestic dominion.
Proverbs 16 4 Commentary
Proverbs 16:4 is a profound declaration of God's absolute sovereignty, which can sometimes appear challenging due to its implications. It presents a divine worldview where every created entity and every event, down to the final judgment of the wicked, exists and unfolds according to God's intentional design and for His ultimate purpose. It asserts that God is not merely reacting to human choices or guiding a world operating independently; rather, He actively orchestrated everything for His purposes. The "day of evil" for the wicked does not imply God creating wickedness itself, but rather ordaining the ultimate day of their deserved reckoning, demonstrating His justice, power, and holiness. This is a day of calamitous judgment, a culmination of the consequences of their choices against a righteous God.
The verse is a comfort to the righteous, knowing that God is in complete control, even over apparent chaos and the prosperity of the ungodly. It reassures that evil will not triumph ultimately, and divine justice will prevail at an appointed time. For the wicked, it serves as a solemn warning that their defiance will ultimately be met with a divine accounting, prepared from eternity by a righteous God. The ultimate glorification of God's name, whether through the salvation of the righteous or the righteous judgment of the wicked, is the supreme purpose towards which all of creation moves.
Examples:
- The rise and fall of empires, often marked by great wickedness, are often viewed biblically as serving God's overarching purposes (e.g., Babylon or Assyria as God's rod of judgment, Isa 10).
- Even individuals, like Pharaoh in Exodus, though wicked by choice, served as instruments for God to display His power and make His name known throughout the earth (Rom 9:17).
- The coming of the Lord's return, often called "the day of the Lord" in prophecies, is a "day of evil" for those who have rejected Him, yet it is also the ultimate display of God's righteous rule and justice.