Proverbs 16:4
New International Version
The LORD works out everything to its proper end— even the wicked for a day of disaster.

New Living Translation
The LORD has made everything for his own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster.

English Standard Version
The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.

Berean Standard Bible
The LORD has made everything for His purpose—even the wicked for the day of disaster.

King James Bible
The LORD hath made all things for himself: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

New King James Version
The LORD has made all for Himself, Yes, even the wicked for the day of doom.

New American Standard Bible
The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked for the day of evil.

NASB 1995
The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked for the day of evil.

NASB 1977
The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked for the day of evil.

Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked for the day of evil.

Amplified Bible
The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, Even the wicked [according to their role] for the day of evil.

Christian Standard Bible
The LORD has prepared everything for his purpose — even the wicked for the day of disaster.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The LORD has prepared everything for His purpose— even the wicked for the day of disaster.

American Standard Version
Jehovah hath made everything for its own end; Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
All the works of LORD JEHOVAH are for those that submit to him, and the evil are kept for the day of evil.

Contemporary English Version
The LORD has a reason for everything he does, and he lets evil people live only to be punished.

Douay-Rheims Bible
The Lord hath made all things for himself: the wicked also for the evil day.

English Revised Version
The LORD hath made every thing for its own end: yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The LORD has made everything for his own purpose, even wicked people for the day of trouble.

Good News Translation
Everything the LORD has made has its destiny; and the destiny of the wicked is destruction.

International Standard Version
The LORD made everything answerable to him, including the wicked at the time of trouble.

JPS Tanakh 1917
The LORD hath made every things for His own purpose, Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil.

Literal Standard Version
YHWH has worked all things for Himself, | And also the wicked—for a day of evil.

Majority Standard Bible
The LORD has made everything for His purpose—even the wicked for the day of disaster.

New American Bible
The LORD has made everything for a purpose, even the wicked for the evil day.

NET Bible
The LORD works everything for its own ends--even the wicked for the day of disaster.

New Revised Standard Version
The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble.

New Heart English Bible
The LORD has made everything for its own end--yes, even the wicked for the day of evil.

Webster's Bible Translation
The LORD hath made all things for himself: yes, even the wicked for the day of evil.

World English Bible
Yahweh has made everything for its own end— yes, even the wicked for the day of evil.

Young's Literal Translation
All things hath Jehovah wrought for Himself, And also the wicked worketh for a day of evil.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Reply of the Tongue is from the LORD
3Commit your works to the LORD and your plans will be achieved. 4The LORD has made everything for His purpose— even the wicked for the day of disaster. 5Everyone who is proud in heart is detestable to the LORD; be assured that he will not go unpunished.…

Cross References
Romans 9:22
What if God, intending to show His wrath and make His power known, bore with great patience the vessels of His wrath, prepared for destruction?

Genesis 1:31
And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day.

Exodus 9:16
But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display My power to you, and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.

Job 21:30
Indeed, the evil man is spared from the day of calamity, delivered from the day of wrath.

Proverbs 16:5
Everyone who is proud in heart is detestable to the LORD; be assured that he will not go unpunished.

Ecclesiastes 3:11
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work that God has done from beginning to end.


Treasury of Scripture

The LORD has made all things for himself: yes, even the wicked for the day of evil.

Lord

Isaiah 43:7,21
Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him…

Romans 11:36
For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

Revelation 4:11
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

yea

Job 21:30
That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction? they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath.

Romans 9:22
What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:

1 Peter 2:8
And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

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Proverbs 16
1. The Plans of the heart














(4) The Lord hath made all things for himself--i.e., to serve His own purposes, that His wisdom, goodness, &c, may be thereby revealed. Or the passage may be translated, "hath made all for its own end or purpose." The assertion that "He has made the wicked for the day of evil," does not mean that He created any one for punishment--i.e., predestined him for destruction. It only teaches that even the wicked are subservient to God's eternal purposes; that Pharaoh, for instance, by his rebellion could not change God's plans for the deliverance of His people, but only gave Him an occasion for showing forth His power, justice, goodness, and longsuffering. The "day of evil," i.e., punishment, at last overtook Pharaoh in accordance with the law and purpose of God that the wicked, if unrepentant, shall be punished, and thereby serve as a warning to others; but God by his longsuffering shewed that He was "not willing" that he should "perish," but rather that he "should come to repentance" (2Peter 3:9). This appears to be also the teaching of St. Paul in Romans 9:17, sqq.

Verse 4. - The Lord hath made all things for himself. So the Vulgate, propter semetipsum; and Origen ('Praef. in Job'), δἰ ἑαυτόν. That is, God hath made everything for his own purpose, to answer the design which he hath intended from all eternity (Revelation 4:11). But this translation is not in accordance with the present reading, לַמַּעַנֵהוּ, which means rather "for its own end," for its own proper use. Everything in God's design has its own end and object and reason for being where it is and such as it is; everything exhibits his goodness and wisdom, and tends to his glory. Septuagint, "All the works of the Lord are with righteousness." Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil. This clause has been perverted to support the terrible doctrine of reprobation - that God, whose will must be always efficacious, has willed the damnation of some; whereas we are taught that God's will is that "all men should be saved, and come unto the knowledge of the truth," and that "God sent his Son not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved" (1 Timothy 2:4; John 3:17; comp. Ezekiel 33:11). Man, having freewill, can reject this gracious purpose of God, and render the means of salvation nugatory; but this does not make God the cause of man's destruction, but man himself. In saying that God "made the wicked," the writer does not mean that God made him as such, but made him as he made all other things, giving him powers and capacities which he might have used to good, but which, as a fact, he uses to evil. It will be useful here to quote the wise words of St. Gregory ('Moral.,' 6:33), "The Just and Merciful One, as he disposes the deeds of mortals, vouchsafes some things in mercy, and permits other things in anger; and the things which he permits he so bears with that he turns them to the account of his purpose. And hence it is brought to pass in a marvellous way that even that which is done without t,e will of God is not contrary to the will of God. For while evil deeds are converted to a good use, the very things that oppose his design render service to his design." The day of evil is the hour of punishment (Isaiah 10:3; Job 21:30), which by a moral law will inevitably fall upon the sinner. God makes man's wickedness subserve his purposes and manifest his glory, as we see in the case of Pharaoh (Exodus 9:16), and the crucifixion of our blessed Lord (Acts 2:23; comp. Romans 9:22). It is a phase of God's moral government that an evil day should be appointed for transgressors, and it is from foreknowledge of their deserts that their punishment is prepared. The perplexing question, why God allows men to come into the world whom he knows will meet with perdition, is not handled here. Septuagint, "But the impious is kept for an evil day." Cato, 'Dist.,' 2:8 -

"Nolo putes pravos homines peccata lucrari:
Temporibus peccata latent, sed tempore patent."


Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The LORD
יְ֭הוָה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

has made
פָּעַ֣ל (pā·‘al)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6466: To do, make, to practise

everything
כֹּ֤ל (kōl)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

for His purpose—
לַֽמַּעֲנֵ֑הוּ (lam·ma·‘ă·nê·hū)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 4617: An answer, response

even
וְגַם־ (wə·ḡam-)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 1571: Assemblage, also, even, yea, though, both, and

the wicked
רָ֝שָׁ֗ע (rā·šā‘)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7563: Wrong, an, bad person

for the day
לְי֣וֹם (lə·yō·wm)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3117: A day

of disaster.
רָעָֽה׃ (rā·‘āh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 16:4 Yahweh has made everything for its own (Prov. Pro Pr)
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