· Translation: KJV

Proverbs 16:5Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to Yahweh: they shall certainly not be unpunished.

The setting

Ancient Israel, ~950 BC. Solomon's court where wisdom was collected and taught to future leaders...

The emotion here: urgent warning from hard experience

The original word

to'evah (תּוֹעֵבָה) — abomination, something that causes God to recoil in disgust

Why it matters

Solomon collected 3,000 proverbs, but only about 800 made it into Scripture

Read with care

What most readers miss in Proverbs 16:5

This isn't about external arrogance but heart pride — the secret belief you deserve credit

Common misconceptionPeople think this is about obvious bragging, but it's about the subtle heart attitude that takes credit for what God and others provided.

Bible Genome reading

Proverbs 16:5 — Bible Genome reading

EraUnited Kingdom
Primary emotionworship
Literary typewisdom

Emotional genome

Comfort power30%
Quotability80%
Memorability80%
Crisis relevance40%
Standalone80%
Themes:humilitypride

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Proverbs 16

Proverbs 16:5 comes from the book of Proverbs, written during the United Kingdom period. The dominant emotion in this verse is worship, with a comfort power of 30% and a tone that is commanding. It belongs to the wisdom genre of biblical literature. Key themes include humility, pride. Notable phrases: proud in heart; abomination to Yahweh.

Your reflection

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