KING JAMES VERSION (KJV)
TRANSLATION, MEANING, CONTEXT
To get what Proverbs 16:17 means based on its source text, scroll down or follow these links for the original scriptural meaning , biblical context and relative popularity.
“The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.”
What does this verse really mean? Use this table to get a word-for-word translation of the original Hebrew Scripture. This shows the English words related to the source biblical texts along with brief definitions. Follow the buttons in the right-hand column for detailed definitions and verses that use the same root words. Use this reference information to gain deeper insight into the Bible and enrich your understanding. Information based on Strong's Exhaustive Concordance[1].
| KJV Verse | Original Hebrew | Meaning/ Definition This is a simplified translation of the original Hebrew word. Follow the buttons on the right to get more detail. | More Use the buttons below to get details on the Hebrew word and view related Bible verses that use the same root word. |
|---|---|---|---|
| “The highway” | מְסִלַּ֣ת | A thoroughfare (as turnpiked), literally or figuratively; specifically a viaduct, a staircase | highway |
| “of the upright” | יְ֭שָׁרִים | Straight (literally or figuratively) | upright |
| “is” | (No Hebrew definition. English implied.) | ||
| “to depart” | ס֣וּר | To turn off (literally or figuratively) | depart |
| “from evil:” | מֵרָ֑ע | Bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral) | evil |
| “he that keepeth” | נֹצֵ֥ר | To guard, in a good sense (to protect, maintain, obey, etc.) or a bad one (to conceal, etc.) | keepeth |
| “his way” | דַּרְכּֽוֹ׃ | A road (as trodden); figuratively, a course of life or mode of action, often adverb | way |
| “preserveth” | שֹׁמֵ֥ר | Properly, to hedge about (as with thorns), i.e., guard; generally, to protect, attend to, etc | preserveth |
| “his soul.” | נַ֝פְשׁ֗וֹ | Properly, a breathing creature, i.e., animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental) | soul |
See Proverbs 16:17 with its adjacent verses in bold below. Follow either of the two large buttons below to see these verses in their broader context of the King James Bible or a Bible concordance.
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15 In the light of the king's countenance is life; and his favour is as a cloud of the latter rain.
16 How much better is it to get wisdom than gold! and to get understanding rather to be chosen than silver!
17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.
18 Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.
19 Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the proud.
The King James Bible (1611) and Strong's Concordance (1890) with Hebrew and Greek dictionaries are sourced from the BibleForgeDB database (https://github.com/bibleforge) within the BibleForge project (http://bibleforge.com). Popularity rankings are based on search volume data from the Google AdWords Keyword Planner tool.