Proverbs 16:3 - Exposition

Commit thy works unto the Lord. "Commit" ( gol ) is literally "roll" ( κύλισον , Theodotion), as in Psalms 22:8 and Psalms 37:5 ; and the injunction means, "Transfer thy burden to the Lord, cast upon him all that thou hast to do; do all as in his sight, and as an act of duty to him." Thus Tobit says to his son, "Bless the Lord thy God alway, and desire of him that thy ways may be directed, and that all thy paths and counsels may prosper" (Tobit 4:19). The Vulgate, using a different punctuation ( gal ) , renders, "Reveal to the Lord thy works?' As a child opens its heart to a tender parent, so do thou show to God thy desires and intentions, trusting to his care and providence. And thy thoughts shall be established. The plans and deliberations out of which the "works" sprang shall meet with a happy fulfilment, because they are undertaken according to the will of God, and directed to the end by his guidance (comp. Proverbs 19:21 ; Psalms 90:17 ; 1 Corinthians 3:9 ). This verse is not in the Septuagint.