Week 26 Proverbs 1
One of the first pieces of advice that Solomon tells readers is to steer clear of a class of people that he identifies as ‘sinners’: do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path.
Other versions agree:
don’t travel that road with them or set foot on their path
do not walk in the way with them; hold back your foot from their paths
do not go along with them, do not set foot on their paths.
Each version uses the same figure-of-speech – a ‘path’ or ‘paths’ – to talk about the route I should be looking for to avoid travelling in the company of this group of people Proverbs calls ‘sinners’.
I do a quick count. ‘Path’ is used about 32 times in the bible – eight times in Proverbs. ‘Paths’ 44 times – thirteen times in Proverbs. Proverbs uses the picture of a pathway >25% of the times it’s used in the bible. Solomon doesn’t overuse it…but it’s one of his repeater ideas.
While I’m looking up references I see that two paths are identified: a) there’s the path that ‘sinners’ travel (keep off the path of the wicked) and b) there’s a path for ‘non-sinners’ (the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn).
One way to read Proverbs is to think of it as a kind of roadmap for taking a recommended path. And an travel advisory of one to avoid.
Note: quotes from Proverbs 1:15 (NASB CSB ESV NIV) & 4:14 18 (CSB)