Proverbs 2:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: men whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways.

NIV: whose paths are crooked and who are devious in their ways.

NASB: Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways;

CSB: whose paths are crooked, and whose ways are devious.

NLT: Their actions are crooked, and their ways are wrong.

KJV: Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:

NKJV: Whose ways are crooked, And who are devious in their paths;

Prior verses extolled the value of justice, which is a proper application of wisdom and understanding. Verses 14 and 15 conclude this section on justice with the culmination of the description of an evil person. Here the Proverb describes crooked paths and devious ways—the opposite of justice. The modern term which comes to mind in describing this type of person is manipulative. This person delights and rejoices in evil, as stated in verse 14, and will stop at nothing to see that evil realized. He deliberately twists his path to meet his own desires. He perverts the truth to conform to his devious ways.

A powerful example of this is found in the Serpent's questions to Eve in Genesis chapter 3. First, the Serpent casts doubt on what God actually did or did not command. Then, he draws the woman into thinking about the fairness of God's command. Then he flatly calls God a liar, questioning God's character and motives. Nothing could be more crooked or devious.

Proverbs 2:9–15 refines our understanding of justice, which is possibly the most difficult of the four virtues to master. We have long misunderstood justice as fairness or equality. Everyone is familiar with the common complaint ''that's not fair.'' This is often expressed when someone perceives that they are not being treated identically to others. However, true justice makes no claim to be equal; instead it is equitable. Justice can be defined as giving each person their due. Justice is absolutely fair, it is not necessarily equal.

In Proverbs chapter 2, Solomon highlights various virtues, as well as provides encouragement to live a virtuous life. As in chapter 1, specific concepts wil reoccur, and are used in certain ways. Here, these are ideas such as courage, integrity, wisdom, and justice. The gist of this passage is the positive effect that virtue—including these various aspects—will have on one's life. In contrast, those who pursue non-virtuous living will suffer dire consequences.

The overarching theme of Proverbs chapter 2 is the relationship between virtue and discernment. As described here, virtuous living is moral living. As a person strives to live a moral life, he or she develops a greater ability to discern right from wrong. Further, beyond simple matters of right and wrong, as virtue grows within a person, he or she becomes more proficient at discerning trickier situations. Real life predicaments often present two or more seemingly valid options. Discernment, then, also includes determining which of many different options is actually best. Likewise, many life situations appear to offer only a variety of bad options. There, discernment is once again required, to determine which option presents the correct choice, or to recognize where a ''good'' option has been hidden.

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.

Accessed 5/1/2024 10:42:12 AM