The Meaning of Proverbs 10:9 Explained

Proverbs 10:9

KJV: He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.

YLT: Whoso is walking in integrity walketh confidently, And whoso is perverting his ways is known.

Darby: He that walketh in integrity walketh securely; but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.

ASV: He that walketh uprightly walketh surely; But he that perverteth his ways shall be known.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

He that walketh  uprightly  walketh  surely:  but he that perverteth  his ways  shall be known. 

What does Proverbs 10:9 Mean?

Context Summary

Proverbs 10:1-16 - The Righteous And The Wicked
Wealth has its advantages, which are more than apparent. The rich man's wealth is his strong city, Proverbs 10:15; but the treasures which have been obtained by wickedness are soon dissipated. They profit nothing, Proverbs 10:2. This book contains the striking thought that ill-earned wealth is never gathered for the benefit of the possessor, but rather for the benefit of the righteous, and must be useless until it gets into hands which will use it benevolently and rightly.
But there is another kind of wealth, which will never take wings to fly away, which no moth can corrupt nor thief steal, and which will avail not only here but here-after. Note the antithesis of Proverbs 10:2. If you would increase your wealth, give it away. See Proverbs 10:4.
The covering work of love, referred to in Proverbs 10:12, is emphasized in 1 Corinthians 13:7, r.v., margin, 1 Peter 4:8, and James 5:20. God covers sin, so that the memory of it is obliterated, Ezekiel 33:16. [source]

Chapter Summary: Proverbs 10

1  Proverbs of Solomon: observations of moral virtues, and their contrary vices

What do the individual words in Proverbs 10:9 mean?

He who walks with integrity walks securely but he who perverts his ways will become known
הוֹלֵ֣ךְ בַּ֭תֹּם יֵ֣לֶךְ בֶּ֑טַח וּמְעַקֵּ֥שׁ דְּ֝רָכָ֗יו יִוָּדֵֽעַ

הוֹלֵ֣ךְ  He  who  walks 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
בַּ֭תֹּם  with  integrity 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: תֹּם  
Sense: integrity, completeness.
יֵ֣לֶךְ  walks 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
בֶּ֑טַח  securely 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֶּטַח  
Sense: security, safety adv.
וּמְעַקֵּ֥שׁ  but  he  who  perverts 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine singular
Root: עָקַשׁ  
Sense: to be perverse, twist, pervert, make crooked, prove perverse, declare perverse.
דְּ֝רָכָ֗יו  his  ways 
Parse: Noun, common plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
יִוָּדֵֽעַ  will  become  known 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.