Proverbs 2:20
in Proverbs 2So you will follow in the ways of the good, and keep to the paths of the righteous.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, And keep the paths of the righteous.
KJV
That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.
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This verse in Proverbs 2
Commentary
8 notes on this verseScripture itself plainly testifies to this very thing, saying: "For if they would walk in right paths, they would certainly have found the paths of righteousness smooth."
This site's exposition
So you will follow in the ways of the good
on Proverbs 2:20-22
“So you will follow in the ways of the good” gives the conditional sentence its purpose, a life spent on “the paths of the righteous”. The promise that “the upright will inhabit the land, and the blameless will remain in it” echoes the land promise of the law.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
To walk in the good way, etc. The good way, he calls the unity of true faith, about which the Lord says, I am the way (John XIV); and again: No one can come to the Father, except through me (Ibid.). But the paths of …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
It will be our wisdom to walk in that way, to ask for the good old way and walk therein, Jer. vi. And we must not only walk in that way awhile, but we must keep it, keep in it, and never turn aside out of it: The paths of the righteous are the paths of life, which all that are wise, having taken hold of, will keep their hold of.
7 He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly. 8 He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints. 9 Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
That thou mayest walk in the way of good men,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
That thou mayest mark - Therefore thou shalt walk.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The previous picture of shame and sin is brought before the disciple as an incentive to a better course.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לְמַ֗עַן | lemaan | so that | H4616 → | 272 times |
| תֵּ֭לֵךְ | telekh | you may walk | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ | bederekh | in [the] way of | H1870 → | 707 times |
| טוֹבִ֑ים | tovim | good [people] | H2896 → | 538 times |
| וְאָרְח֖וֹת | vearechot | and [the] paths of | H734 → | 58 times |
| צַדִּיקִ֣ים | tzadikim | righteous [people] | H6662 → | 206 times |
| תִּשְׁמֹֽר׃ | tishmor | you will keep | H8104 → | 468 times |
לְמַ֗עַןso that
lemaanH4616 →272 times
תֵּ֭לֵךְyou may walk
telekhH1980 →1546 times
בְּדֶ֣רֶךְin [the] way of
bederekhH1870 →707 times
טוֹבִ֑יםgood [people]
tovimH2896 →538 times
וְאָרְח֖וֹתand [the] paths of
vearechotH734 →58 times
צַדִּיקִ֣יםrighteous [people]
tzadikimH6662 →206 times
תִּשְׁמֹֽר׃you will keep
tishmorH8104 →468 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Jeremiah 6:16This is what the LORD says: “Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths: ‘Where is the good way?’ Then walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.…
it leads to
- Isaiah 30:21
And whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear this command behind you: “This is the way. Walk in it.”
- Deuteronomy 32:7
Remember the days of old; consider the years long past. Ask your father, and he will tell you, your elders, and they will inform you.
- Jeremiah 18:15
Yet My people have forgotten Me. They burn incense to worthless idols that make them stumble in their ways, leaving the ancient roads to walk on rutted bypaths instead of on the highway.
- Matthew 11:28–29
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
- Jeremiah 7:23
but this is what I commanded them: Obey Me, and I will be your God, and you will be My people. You must walk in all the ways I have commanded you, so that…
- Isaiah 30:21
Through
Proverbs 13:20He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 15:33–34
Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
- Proverbs 15:31
He who listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise.
- Proverbs 9:6
Leave your folly behind, and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:33–34
About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; John Cassian, Conference of Abbot Abraham, Chapter 24; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.