Passage

Proverbs 16.33

Book: Proverbs · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV

31. The hoary head is a crown of glory; It shall be found in the way of righteousness. 32. He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; And he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a city.

33. The lot is cast into the lap; But the whole disposing thereof is of Jehovah. (Proverbs 16:31-33, ASV)

WEB

31. Gray hair is a crown of glory. It is attained by a life of righteousness. 32. One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty; one who rules his spirit, than he who takes a city.

33. The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from Yahweh. (Proverbs 16:31-33, WEB)

KJV

31. The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness. 32. He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

33. The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD. (Proverbs 16:31-33, KJV)

YLT

31. A crown of beauty [are] grey hairs, In the way of righteousness it is found. 32. Better [is] the slow to anger than the mighty, And the ruler over his spirit than he who is taking a city.

33. Into the centre is the lot cast, And from Jehovah [is] all its judgment! (Proverbs 16:31-33, YLT)

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Setting

Speaker: the sages of Israel; the heading of chapters 10 to 22 is "The proverbs of Solomon" (Proverbs 10:1)
Audience: the young, and anyone seeking wisdom
Location: Israel
Time period: the Solomonic collection, tenth century BC on the traditional attribution, gathered later

Theological reading

"The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof is of the LORD." (Proverbs 16:33, KJV).

Chance under rule. Casting lots was Israel's way of reaching an outcome no human could control (Leviticus 16:8; Joshua 18:6; Acts 1:26). The proverb grants that the lot falls without human control, and says its outcome is still the LORD's "disposing."

Randomness that is not lawless. The verse holds two things together: an outcome no one can predict, and a governance over it. See The Lawful Chance Argument.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word.

H4941 - mishpat, mishpat, Strong's H4941
H3068 - YHWH, YHWH, Strong's H3068

Quoted in

Arguments and defeaters:

Concepts:

Guides:

Ris3n Arguments

Notes

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Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.