Proverbs 16:25 (DRB)

Passage

There is a way that seemeth to a man right: and the ends thereof lead to death.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 16:23 The heart of the wise shall instruct his mouth: and shall add grace to his lips.

Proverbs 16:24 Well ordered words are as a honeycomb: sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seemeth to a man right: and the ends thereof lead to death.

Proverbs 16:26 The soul of him that laboureth, laboureth for himself, because his mouth hath obliged him to it.

Proverbs 16:27 The wicked man diggeth evil, and in his lips is a burning fire.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "seemeth", "right", "ends", "thereof", "lead", and "death". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "seemeth" and "right", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 24's "Well ordered words are as a honeycomb..." into verse 26's "The soul of him that laboureth laboureth...", so "seemeth" and "right" 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 "seemeth" and "right" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.