Proverbs 4:12 (DBY)

Passage

When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 4:10 Hear, my son, and receive my sayings, and the years of thy life shall be multiplied.

Proverbs 4:11 I will teach thee in the way of wisdom, I will lead thee in paths of uprightness.

Proverbs 4:12 When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.

Proverbs 4:13 Take fast hold of instruction, let [her] not go: keep her, for she is thy life.

Proverbs 4:14 Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil [men]:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thou", "goest", "steps", "shall", "straitened", and "runnest". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thou" and "goest", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "I will teach thee in the way..." into verse 13's "Take fast hold of instruction let her...", so "thou" and "goest" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "thou" and "goest" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.