Proverbs 2:9
in Proverbs 2Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity—every good path.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then shalt thou understand righteousness and justice, And equity, yea, every good path.
KJV
Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.
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This verse in Proverbs 2
Commentary
6 notes on this verseA commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Then--emphatic, in such a case. righteousness . . . path--all parts of duty to God and man. Idea of Pr 2:9, amplified; on terms, compare Pr 2:2 and Pr 2:4.
This site's exposition
He stores up sound wisdom for the upright
on Proverbs 2:7-9
“He stores up sound wisdom for the upright” pictures wisdom as treasure kept for its owners. “He is a shield to those who walk with integrity” makes protection wisdom's first office. The guarding of “the paths of justice” rests on God's action as well as the vigilance of the wise.
This site's exposition
every good path
This is the chapter's second then. Verse 5 promised the knowledge of God. This verse promises the three aims of 1:3, which Jamieson, Fausset & Brown read as every part of duty to God and to man.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
): " Thou shalt understand, by the word of God, righteousness, and judgment, and equity, shalt learn those principles of justice, and charity, and fair dealing, which shall guide and govern thee in the whole course of thy conversation, shall make thee fit for every relation, every business, and faithful to every trust.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens+odd-straight-quotes
Then shalt thou understand righteousness and judgment,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Then shalt thou understand - He who is taught of God understands the whole law of justice, mercy, righteousness, and truth; God has written this on his heart. He who understands these things by books only is never likely to practice or profit by them.
The words behind it
8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אָ֗ז | ʾaz | then | H227 → | 141 times |
| תָּ֭בִין | tavin | you will understand | H995 → | 170 times |
| צֶ֣דֶק | tzedek | righteousness | H6664 → | 119 times |
| וּמִשְׁפָּ֑ט | umishpat | and justice | H4941 → | 422 times |
| וּ֝מֵישָׁרִ֗ים | umeisharim | and uprightness<es> | H4339 → | 19 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | every | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| מַעְגַּל־ | ma'gal- | course of | H4570 → | 16 times |
| טֽוֹב׃ | tov | good | H2896 → | 538 times |
אָ֗זthen
ʾazH227 →141 times
תָּ֭בִיןyou will understand
tavinH995 →170 times
צֶ֣דֶקrighteousness
tzedekH6664 →119 times
וּמִשְׁפָּ֑טand justice
umishpatH4941 →422 times
וּ֝מֵישָׁרִ֗יםand uprightness<es>
umeisharimH4339 →19 times
כָּל־every
kol-H3605 →5413 times
מַעְגַּל־course of
ma'gal-H4570 →16 times
טֽוֹב׃good
tovH2896 →538 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
Isaiah 48:17Thus says the LORD your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you for your benefit, who directs you in the way you should go.
it leads to
- Psalms 32:8
I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will give you counsel and watch over you.
- Psalms 25:12
Who is the man who fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the path chosen for him.
- Job 22:21–22
Reconcile now and be at peace with Him; thereby good will come to you.
- Deuteronomy 8:17–18
You might say in your heart, “The power and strength of my hands have made this wealth for me.”
- Isaiah 30:20
The Lord will give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, but your Teacher will no longer hide Himself—with your own eyes you will see Him.
- Psalms 32:8
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.
- Isaiah 30:21
About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.