Concerning the significance of the imagery of a “path” in Proverbs 3:6, Friesen writes: The noun “path” is frequently employed in the Psalms and Proverbs. But it does not have the idea of an individual will of God. Hebrew writers use it to describe the general course or fortunes of life (see Proverbs 4:18–19; 15:19). 

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will ____________.”

How you complete the above verses (Proverbs 3:5–6) will depend on which English version you memorized them from. They’re frequently presented as a promise of specific, divine guidance for decision making, especially because the King James Version renders the latter part of verse 6, “….and He shall direct your paths,” instead of the more accurate translation of the verb, which means “to make straight” or “to make smooth.” Garry Friesen, in Decision Making and the Will of God, quotes Old Testament scholar Bruce Waltke recounting a colleague’s difficulty coming to terms with this:

All of us have had the shock of discovering that a favorite verse in the King James Version was inaccurate…. I recall the astonishment of one of the committee members assigned to translate the Book of Proverbs for the New International Version when he discovered that Proverbs 3:5–6 had nothing to say about guidance…. [W]hen confronted with the linguistic data he had to admit reluctantly that the verse more properly read “and He will make your path smooth.” (p. 57)

Read More