Proverbs 16:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The highway of the upright turns aside from evil; whoever guards his way preserves his life.

NIV: The highway of the upright avoids evil; those who guard their ways preserve their lives.

NASB: The highway of the upright is to turn away from evil; One who watches his way protects his life.

CSB: The highway of the upright avoids evil; the one who guards his way protects his life.

NLT: The path of the virtuous leads away from evil; whoever follows that path is safe.

KJV: The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.

NKJV: The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who keeps his way preserves his soul.

Solomon describes the life of an upright person as a highway. Scripture often uses this metaphor, in part because a person's life is not a single step; it is a journey. Each choice is a step that moves us in a certain direction and creates the conditions for our next choice. Doing what is right often disagrees with our selfish human nature. This is why Jesus referred to righteousness as a "hard way" that few people choose (Matthew 7:14). Peter refers to this journey as a sojourn (1 Peter 2:11), and he urged his Christian readers to keep their conduct honorable (1 Peter 2:12).

Those encouragements fit Solomon's description of the "highway of the upright" as one that avoids evil. In 2 Corinthians 5:17 Paul declares that every believer is newly created, with a life that doesn't follow the paths of sin. Although believers sin (1 John 1:8–10), their lives are not characterized by sin. Instead, their new life is characterized by righteousness. The apostle John writes: "No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning" (1 John 3:9). As believers walk in newness of life, following Christ's light (Psalm 119:105), they guard their souls from sinning.

As other proverbs have pointed out, this righteous path of belief in Christ keeps a person from dire consequences. These include both earthly complications of sin (Proverbs 12:28), and eternal separation from God (Romans 3:23; 6:23; 1 Corinthians 6:9–11).

Proverbs 16:16–26 focuses on righteousness, pride, humility, faith, speaking, and industrious labor. Again, we see the contrast between the upright and fools, as well as between diligence and laziness. Many of these proverbs come in a two-sentence style, where each presents the same idea from different directions of thought.

This part of Solomon's proverbs emphasizes human motives, self-control, and common sense. Many of these proverbs are arranged in a two-part style. The first and second half of these statements make the same basic point, but from opposite perspectives. Notable verses are verses 9 and 33, speaking of God's sovereignty, and verse 18, a famous warning about arrogance. Also often cited is verse 25, which repeats Proverbs 14:12 and encourages self-reflection.

A lengthy list of Solomon's wise sayings began in chapter 10. Chapter 16 begins a section mostly composed of comparisons and completions. It extends to Proverbs 22:16. Man's thoughts, speech, motives, and conduct are examined in this chapter. The chapter also addresses pride, evil, and injustice.

Proverbs is best understood in context with the books of Ecclesiastes and Job. In Proverbs, “wisdom” is given in short, simple, general terms. Ecclesiastes represents wisdom based on observation and experience. This often shows how the general principles of the book of Proverbs don’t apply in absolutely every circumstance. Job represents wisdom based on the experience of suffering and injustice. All three come to the conclusion that God does indeed know best, and the most sensible course of action is to follow His will.