Bible Strands
Proverbs 15:16
Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great treasure with turmoil.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The author of Proverbs addresses a general audience, positioning this saying between two other comparisons about daily contentment and relational peace. The text contrasts two modes of living without specifying a historical moment or individual speaker.
The words — מְעַט (me'at) literally means "a little," and מְהוּמָה (mehu mah) means "turmoil" or "disturbance." The verse pairs these terms to contrast material insufficiency with spiritual peace against material abundance with internal chaos.
The thread — This comparative structure appears in Proverbs 16:8, which contrasts a little with righteousness against great gain with injustice. It aligns with Psalms 37:16 on the little of the righteous versus the wicked's abundance, and mirrors Ecclesiastes 5:10 on the futility of pursuing wealth.
Why it lands — The text demands a practical evaluation of what constitutes true wealth. It asks the reader to choose a modest life under God's reverence over a large inheritance that generates constant anxiety.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Better is little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and trouble therewith.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 16:8 Better a little with righteousness than great gain with injustice.
- Psalms 37:16 Better is the little of the righteous than the abundance of many who are wicked.
- Ecclesiastes 5:10 He who loves money is never satisfied by money, and he who loves wealth is never satisfied by income. This too is futile.
- 1 Timothy 6:6 Of course, godliness with contentment is great gain.
- Proverbs 28:6 Better a poor man who walks with integrity than a rich man whose ways are perverse.
- Proverbs 10:22 The blessing of the LORD enriches, and He adds no sorrow to it.
- Ecclesiastes 2:18 I hated all for which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.
- Ecclesiastes 2:10 Anything my eyes desired, I did not deny myself. I refused my heart no pleasure. For my heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor.