Proverbs 4:12 (GNV)

Passage

Whe thou goest, thy gate shall not be strait, and when thou runnest, thou shalt not fall.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 4:10 Heare, my sonne, and receiue my wordes, and the yeeres of thy life shalbe many.

Proverbs 4:11 I haue taught thee in ye way of wisedom, and led thee in the pathes of righteousnesse.

Proverbs 4:12 Whe thou goest, thy gate shall not be strait, and when thou runnest, thou shalt not fall.

Proverbs 4:13 Take holde of instruction, and leaue not: keepe her, for shee is thy life.

Proverbs 4:14 Enter not into the way of the wicked, and walke not in the way of euill men.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thou", "goest", "gate", "shall", "strait", 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 haue taught thee in ye way..." into verse 13's "Take holde of instruction and leaue not...", 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.