English Standard Version
Proverbs 14:12
12There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.
Proverbs 14:12 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
- New International Version (NIV)There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.
- New King James Version (NKJV)There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.
- New Living Translation (NLT)There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.
Context of Proverbs 14:12
10The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy. 11The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death. 13Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief. 14The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways.
Read all of Proverbs 14Proverbs 14:12 word by word
יֵ֤שׁ דֶּ֣רֶךְ יָ֭שָׁר לִפְנֵי־אִ֑ישׁ וְ֝אַחֲרִיתָ֗הּ דַּרְכֵי־מָֽוֶת׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 14:12
- Proverbs 12:15The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.
- Proverbs 16:25There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.
- Proverbs 30:12There are those who are clean in their own eyes but are not washed of their filth.
- Matthew 7:13"Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.
- Luke 13:24"Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
- Psalms 112:2His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
- Psalms 128:3Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.
- Isaiah 58:11And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
Commentaries on Proverbs 14:12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12There is a way which seemeth right unto a man - This may be his easily besetting sin, the sin of his constitution, the sin of his trade. Or it may be his own false views of religion: he may have an imperfect repentance, a false faith, a very false creed; and he may persuade himself that he is in the direct way to heaven. Many of the papists, when they were burning the saints of God in the flames at Smithfield, thought they were doing God service! And in…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12A way - The way of the fool, the way of self-indulgence and self-will.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12Verse 12 The ways of carelessness, of worldliness, and of sensuality, seem right to those that walk in them; but self-deceivers prove self-destroyers. See the vanity of carnal mirth.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12The best choice may not always appear correct at first glance (see Matthew 7:13–14). See the parallel passage in Proverbs 16:25Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. end thereof--or, "reward," what results (compare Pr 5:4). ways of death--leading to it.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 14:12
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 14
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries