New Living Translation
Proverbs 4:12
12When you walk, you won’t be held back; when you run, you won’t stumble.
Proverbs 4:12 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
- New International Version (NIV)When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.
- English Standard Version (ESV)When you walk, your step will not be hampered, and if you run, you will not stumble.
- New King James Version (NKJV)When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, And when you run, you will not stumble.
Context of Proverbs 4:12
10My child, listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life. 11I will teach you wisdom’s ways and lead you in straight paths. When you walk, you won’t be held back; when you run, you won’t stumble. 13Take hold of my instructions; don’t let them go. Guard them, for they are the key to life. 14Don’t do as the wicked do, and don’t follow the path of evildoers.
Read all of Proverbs 4Proverbs 4:12 word by word
בְּֽ֭לֶכְתְּךָ לֹא־יֵצַ֣ר צַעֲדֶ֑ךָ וְאִם־תָּ֝ר֗וּץ לֹ֣א תִכָּשֵֽׁל׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 4:12
- Proverbs 6:22When you walk, their counsel will lead you. When you sleep, they will protect you. When you wake up, they will advise you.
- 2 Samuel 22:37You have made a wide path for my feet to keep them from slipping.
- Job 18:7The confident stride of the wicked will be shortened. Their own schemes will be their downfall.
- Psalms 18:36You have made a wide path for my feet to keep them from slipping.
- Proverbs 4:19But the way of the wicked is like total darkness. They have no idea what they are stumbling over.
- Proverbs 3:23They keep you safe on your way, and your feet will not stumble.
- Psalms 91:11For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.
- Psalms 119:165Those who love your instructions have great peace and do not stumble.
- Jeremiah 31:9Tears of joy will stream down their faces, and I will lead them home with great care. They will walk beside quiet streams and on smooth paths where they will not stumble. For I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my oldest child.
- John 4:39Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!”
- Proverbs 3:22for they will refresh your soul. They are like jewels on a necklace.
- 1 Peter 2:8And, “He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.
- 1 John 2:10Anyone who loves a fellow believer is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble.
Commentaries on Proverbs 4:12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12Thy steps shall not be straitened - True wisdom will teach thee to keep out of embarrassments. A man under the influence of true religion ponders his paths, and carefully poises occurring circumstances; and as the fear of God will ever lead him to act an upright and honest part, so his way in business and life is both clear and large. He has no by-ends to serve; he speculates not; he uses neither trick nor cunning to effect any purpose. Such a man can…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4-20Verses 4-20 The counsel which has come to him, in substance, from his father. Compare it with 2 Samuel 23:2 etc.; 1 Chronicles 28:9; 1 Chronicles 29:17; Psalm 15:1-5; Psalm 24:1-10; Proverbs 4:7 Or, “The beginning of wisdom is - get wisdom.” To seek is to find, to desire is to obtain. Proverbs 4:12 The ever-recurring parable of the journey of life. In the way of wisdom the path is clear and open, obstacles disappear; in the quickest activity (“when thou…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11-12Wisdom's paths are straightforward (honest), while a fool's paths are dishonest (Proverbs 2:15). When you walk...run: the wise achieve their goals faster and more efficiently.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 11-1211-12. way of wisdom--which it prescribes. led thee--literally, "caused thee to tread," as a path (Psa 107:7). not be straitened--have ample room (Psa 18:36).Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 4:12
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 4
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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