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Psalm 37:16

Better is a little that the righteous has, than the abundance of many wicked.

14The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, to kill those who are upright on the path.
15Their sword shall enter into their own heart. Their bows shall be broken.
16Better is a little that the righteous has, than the abundance of many wicked.
17For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
18The LORD knows the days of the perfect. Their inheritance shall be forever.
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← Psalm 37:15Psalm 37:17 →
Notice

“Better” challenges the way possessions become a measure of success, giving greater weight to righteousness with little than to the abundance of many wicked.

Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.

Where does the claim that a righteous person’s little is better challenge your picture of success?

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What makes the abundance of people who do wrong hard for you to look past?

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How does the surrounding promise that YHWH upholds the righteous affect your reading of “a little”?

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Connect

Where else Scripture says this

11 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.

This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Proverbs 17:1Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife.Both sayings judge a modest portion better than abundance when that abundance comes with wickedness or strife.
1 Timothy 6:6But godliness with contentment is great gain.Both texts measure gain in terms that give righteousness or godliness greater weight than possessions.
Proverbs 16:8Better is a little with righteousness, than great revenues with injustice.Both sayings declare that a little with righteousness is better than wealth associated with wrongdoing.
Proverbs 15:16Better is little, with the fear of the LORD, than great treasure with trouble.Both sayings place little above great wealth when righteousness or the fear of the LORD marks the life.
Luke 12:15He said to them, “Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses.”Both texts challenge abundance as a measure of a life’s worth.
Ecclesiastes 4:6Better is a handful, with quietness, than two handfuls with labor and chasing after wind.Both use a comparison between less and more to show that having more is not always better.
Ecclesiastes 5:20For he shall not often reflect on the days of his life, because God occupies him with the joy of his heart.The connection is limited: Psalm 37 values righteousness above abundance, while Ecclesiastes describes joy that God gives.
Matthew 6:11Give us today our daily bread.Both concern material provision: the psalm values a righteous person’s little, and the prayer asks for today’s bread.
Ecclesiastes 2:26For to the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he gives travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him who …Both contrast the person who is righteous or pleases God with sinners whose accumulated possessions offer no secure advantage.
Jeremiah 35:9and not to build houses for ourselves to dwell in. We have no vineyard, field, or seed;The shared thread is modest possessions, though Jeremiah describes specific things the speakers lack and the psalm compares little with abundance.
Luke 9:17They ate and were all filled. They gathered up twelve baskets of broken pieces that were left over.The link is limited to material provision: the psalm weighs little against abundance, while Luke records food sufficient for everyone.
Where this verse fits

Envy and comparison. job loss or money fear. gratitude.

What the Bible says about money →What the Bible says about gratitude →
One step

Something small to carry out of this verse

Review one money decision for honesty and contentment

practicaloncelight
Encouragement

Having little can still be hard. The surrounding verses explain why righteousness matters more than abundance: the strength of the wicked will break, and YHWH upholds the righteous.

Now put it in your words.

Start an entry on Psalm 37:16. Write what it stirs. Psalmlog sets your words beside Scripture and gives you one next step. Your first entry is free, no account needed.

Keep goingPsalm 37 · the whole chapter with its connection mapPsalms · every chapterBuild a reading plan through Psalms

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).