Proverbs 16:8

Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
Better	טוֹב tov-	H2896	good (as an adjective) in the widest sense · adjective, masculine singular absolute
little	מְ֭עַט Me.'at	H4592	a little or few (often adverbial or compar.) · noun, common masculine singular absolute
righteousness	בִּצְדָקָ֑ה bitz.da.Kah	H6666	rightness (abstractly) · preposition + noun, common feminine singular absolute
great	מֵרֹ֥ב me.Ro	H7230	abundance (in any respect) · preposition + noun, common masculine singular construct
revenues	תְּ֝בוּא֗וֹת te.vu.'ot	H8393	income · noun, common feminine plural absolute
right	מִשְׁפָּֽט mish.Pat	H4941	properly · noun, common masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Proverbs 15:16 Better is little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure and trouble therewith.
Psalms 37:16 A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.
1 Timothy 6:6-9 But godliness with contentment is great gain.
Jeremiah 17:11 As the partridge sitteth on eggs, and hatcheth them not; so he that getteth riches, and not by right, shall leave them in the midst of his d…
Proverbs 21:6-7 The getting of treasures by a lying tongue is a vanity tossed to and fro of them that seek death.
Micah 6:10 Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable?

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 16:8

Here, 1. It is supposed that an honest good man may have but a little of the wealth of this world (all the righteous are not rich), - that a man may have but little, and yet may be honest (though poverty is a temptation to dishonesty, Pro 30:9, yet not an invincible one), - and that a man may grow rich, for a while, by fraud and oppression, may have great revenues, and those got and kept without right, may have no good title to them nor make any good use of them. 2. It is maintained that a small estate, honestly come by, which a man is content with, enjoys comfortably, serves God with cheerfully, and puts to a right use, is much better and more valuable than a great estate ill-got, and then…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 16:8

(Compare Pro 15:6, Pro 15:16-17).

John Gill on Proverbs 16:8

Better is a little with righteousness,.... Gotten in a righteous way, held by a righteous claim, used in a righteous manner, attended with a life of righteousness and holiness; and also along with an interest in the righteousness of Christ, which renders acceptable unto God, yields peace and comfort, and entitles to eternal glory and happiness. A truly righteous man may have but little of this world's goods; but his small pittance is better than great revenues without right; obtained in an unjust way; detained from the right owner of them, and used in an unrighteous manner, in a course of sin and wickedness: or, "without judgment" (e); how to make use of them aright, and without a righteous…

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Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 16:8

Five proverbs of the king, together with three of righteousness in action and conduct: 8 Better is a little with righteousness, Than rich revenues with unrighteousness. The cogn. proverb Pro 15:16 commences similarly. Of רב תּבוּאות, multitude or greatness of income, vid., Pro 14:4 : "unrighteous wealth profits not." The possessor of it is not truly happy, for sin cleaves to it, which troubles the heart (conscience), and because the enjoyment which it affords is troubled by the curses of those who are injured, and by the sighs of the oppressed. Above all other gains rises ἡ εὐσέβεια μετ ̓ αὐταρκείας (Ti1 6:6).

The Church Fathers

Better is a little with righteousness, etc. And the Lord says, Blessed are the poor, for yours is the kingdom of God (Matthew V). And again, Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation (Luke VI). It can also be understood thus, that it is better to serve God devoutly in simple conversation, than being abundant in many virtues, for example, alms, prayers, fastings, teaching, chastity, to despise the deeds of others, and to glory as it were in one's unique sublimity.
— Bede, Commentary on Proverbs

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Poverty · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Riches · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Proverbs 16:8

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 16:8

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 16:8

John Gill on Proverbs 16:8

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 16:8

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Proverbs 16:8

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 16:8

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 16:8

John Gill on Proverbs 16:8

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 16:8

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Proverbs 16:8

Rashi on Proverbs 16:7