The Meaning of Proverbs 2:12 Explained

Proverbs 2:12

KJV: To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;

YLT: To deliver thee from an evil way, From any speaking froward things,

Darby: To deliver thee from the way of evil, from the man that speaketh froward things;

ASV: To deliver thee from the way of evil, From the men that speak perverse things;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

To deliver  thee from the way  of the evil  [man], from the man  that speaketh  froward things; 

What does Proverbs 2:12 Mean?

Context Summary

Proverbs 2:1-22 - Wisdom Guards From Evil
Several words are reiterated in this chapter, which will unlock its treasures. Understanding, Proverbs 2:2-3; Proverbs 2:5; Proverbs 2:9; Proverbs 2:11. If wisdom is a moral quality, leading to intuitive knowledge, understanding may be taken to include something of a prophetic strain. Understanding gathers up and makes use of the results of observation and experience, whether of oneself or of others.
Notice also the word walk, Proverbs 2:7; Proverbs 2:13; way, Proverbs 2:8; Proverbs 2:12-13; Proverbs 2:15; Proverbs 2:20; paths, Proverbs 2:8; Proverbs 2:13; Proverbs 2:15; Proverbs 2:18-20. See how eager the Divine Teacher is (l) to deliver the unwary from the way of the evil man, Proverbs 2:12, and from the way of the evil woman, Proverbs 2:16; and (2) to direct the feet of the young into the ways of the good and into the paths of the righteous, Proverbs 2:20. The path of safety and permanence is that in which we are perpetually conscious of the presence of the Master, Christ. He is the unseen companion of the soul in its difficult and perilous pilgrimage; and we may, in that companionship, appropriate the buckler of Proverbs 2:7, the integrity of Proverbs 2:8, and the stability of Proverbs 2:21. [source]

Chapter Summary: Proverbs 2

1  wisdom promises godliness to her children
10  and safety from evil company
20  and direction in good ways

What do the individual words in Proverbs 2:12 mean?

To deliver you from the way of evil from the man who speaks perverse things
לְ֭הַצִּ֣ילְךָ מִדֶּ֣רֶךְ רָ֑ע מֵ֝אִ֗ישׁ מְדַבֵּ֥ר תַּהְפֻּכֽוֹת

לְ֭הַצִּ֣ילְךָ  To  deliver  you 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct, second person masculine singular
Root: נָצַל  
Sense: to snatch away, deliver, rescue, save, strip, plunder.
מִדֶּ֣רֶךְ  from  the  way 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, common singular
Root: דֶּרֶךְ  
Sense: way, road, distance, journey, manner.
רָ֑ע  of  evil 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
מֵ֝אִ֗ישׁ  from  the  man 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
מְדַבֵּ֥ר  who  speaks 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine singular
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
תַּהְפֻּכֽוֹת  perverse  things 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: תַּהְפֻּכֹות  
Sense: perversity, perverse thing.