21:16

This proverb describes the final destination of a person who stops following a sensible way of life. There are no parallel parts.

16a The man who strays from the path of understanding

16b will rest in the assembly of the dead.

21:16a

The man who strays from the path of understanding: This phrase uses the familiar metaphor of a path. Here it describes a person who rejects good insight and common sense as a way of life. Some ways to translate this phrase are:

• Keep one or more of the figurative ideas in the metaphor. For example:

A person who wanders from the way of wise behavior (God’s Word)
-or-
A person who strays from common sense (New Living Translation (2004))

• Translate the meaning without using figures of speech. For example:

If you stop using good sense (Contemporary English Version)

For more information on the word understanding, see wise dealing in the Glossary.

21:16b

will rest in the assembly of the dead: In Hebrew, this phrase is literally “he will rest in the assembly of the spirits of the dead.” This phrase is a figurative way to say that the person who abandons a sensible way of thinking will die.

It implies that he will die prematurely or unexpectedly But the main emphasis is on the direction and outcome of his life. He will end up in the place of the dead, and that is where he will stay. It does not imply that he will rest in a positive sense.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

will end up among the dead (New Century Version)
-or-
you will find yourself in the grave (Contemporary English Version)

the dead: In Hebrew, this word refers to the spirits of people who have died. The Berean Standard Bible translated this word as “the departed spirits” in 2:18b. See the notes on “the departed spirits” in 2:18a–b and “the dead” in 9:18a for more information.

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