The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who keeps his way preserves his soul.
Parallel translations
- WEB The highway of the upright is to depart from evil. He who keeps his way preserves his soul.
- KJV The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.
- BSB The highway of the upright leads away from evil; he who guards his way protects his life.
- NASB The highway of the upright is to turn away from evil; One who watches his way protects his life.
- NLT The path of the virtuous leads away from evil; whoever follows that path is safe.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The upright travel a clear road that turns away from evil, and guarding that path guards one's life. It matters because watchful, intentional avoidance of evil preserves the soul.
Overview
This proverb describes the way of the upright as a highway whose purpose is departure from evil. Carefully keeping to this path protects one's very life. It calls for vigilance in holiness and points to the life of discipleship, in which believers are kept by God as they walk in His ways.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Isa 35:8A highway will be there, a road, and it will be called The Holy Way. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it will be for those who walk in the Way. Wicked fools will not go there.
- Prov 10:9He who walks blamelessly walks surely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out.
- Prov 19:16He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul, but he who is contemptuous in his ways shall die.
- Prov 4:24–27Put away from yourself a perverse mouth. Put corrupt lips far from you.
- Titus 2:10–14not stealing, but showing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God, our Savior, in all things.
- Jude 1:21Keep yourselves in God’s love, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
- Rev 3:10Because you kept my command to endure, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, which is to come on the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
- Heb 10:39But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the saving of the soul.
- Acts 10:35but in every nation he who fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.
- Matt 24:13But he who endures to the end, the same will be saved.
- Acts 24:16Herein I also practice always having a conscience void of offense toward God and men.
- Jude 1:24Now to him who is able to keep them from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory in great joy,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 16:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.