I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice,
Parallel translations
- WEB I walk in the way of righteousness, in the middle of the paths of justice;
- KJV I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:
- NKJV I traverse the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of justice,
- NASB “I walk in the way of righteousness, In the midst of the paths of justice,
- NLT I walk in righteousness, in paths of justice.
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
Wisdom walks in righteousness and along the paths of justice. To follow her is to live a morally upright life.
Overview
Wisdom describes her own conduct as moving in the way of righteousness and justice, making clear that true wisdom is inseparable from godly character. She does not lead down crooked paths but along straight ones of integrity. This righteous way is perfectly embodied in Christ, who is himself the way (John 14:6) and our righteousness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- John 10:27–28My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.
- Deut 5:32So be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or to the left.
- Ps 32:8I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will give you counsel and watch over you.
- Prov 4:11–12I will guide you in the way of wisdom; I will lead you on straight paths.
- Ps 25:4–5Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths.
- Isa 2:3And many peoples will come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways so that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
- Prov 3:6in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.
- Prov 6:22When you walk, they will guide you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you.
- Ps 23:3He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His name.
- Rev 7:17For the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd. ‘He will lead them to springs of living water,’ and ‘God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”
- John 10:3The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen for his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
- Isa 49:10They will not hunger or thirst, nor will scorching heat or sun beat down on them. For He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water.
- Prov 4:25–27Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead.
- Isa 55:4Behold, I have made him a witness to the nations, a leader and commander of the peoples.
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 8:20 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.