King James Version

Proverbs 4:19

The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

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Hebrew

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דֶּ֣רֶךְderekhalongדֶּרֶךְnoun, common, both genders, singular, construct — “along”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH1870a road (as trodden); figuratively, a course of life or mode of action, often adverbalong, away, because of, [phrase] by, conversation, custom, (east-) ward, journey, manner, passenger, through, toward, (high-) (path-) way(-side), whither(-soever).רְ֭שָׁעִיםreshaimguiltyרָשָׁעadjective, adjective, masculine, plural, absolute — “guilty”, the ordinary formH7563morally wrong; concretely, an (actively) bad person[phrase] condemned, guilty, ungodly, wicked (man), that did wrong.כָּֽאֲפֵלָ֑הkaafelahas darkאֲפֵלָהpreposition, with the article, noun, common, feminine, singular, absolute — “as dark”, the ordinary formH653duskiness, figuratively, misfortune; concrete, concealmentdark, darkness, gloominess, [idiom] thick.לֹ֥אlono , -r,לֹאparticle, negative — “no , -r,”H3808not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles[idiom] before, [phrase] or else, ere, [phrase] except, ig(-norant), much, less, nay, neither, never, no((-ne), -r, (-thing)), ([idiom] as though...,(can-), for) not (out of), of nought, otherwise, out of, [phrase] surely, [phrase] as trul…יָ֝דְע֗וּyadevknowיָדַעverb, qal, perfect, 3rd person, common, plural — “know”, a completed actionH3045to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially (including observation, care, recognition; and causatively, instruction, designation, punishment, etc.)acknowledge, acquaintance(-ted with), advise, answer, appoint, assuredly, be aware, (un-) awares, can(-not), certainly, comprehend, consider, [idiom] could they, cunning, declare, be diligent, (can, cause to) discern, discover, endued with…בַּמֶּ֥הbamehin howמָהpreposition, particle, interrogative — “in how”H4100properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and even relatively, that which); often used with prefixes in various adverbial or conjunctive senseshow (long, oft, (-soever)), (no-) thing, what (end, good, purpose, thing), whereby(-fore, -in, -to, -with), (for) why.יִכָּשֵֽׁלוּyikashelvfallכָּשַׁלverb, niphal, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “fall”, an unfinished actionH3782to totter or waver (through weakness of the legs, especially the ankle); by implication, to falter, stumble, faint or fallbereave (from the margin), cast down, be decayed, (cause to) fail, (cause, make to) fall (down, -ing), feeble, be (the) ruin(-ed, of), (be) overthrown, (cause to) stumble, [idiom] utterly, be weak.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

The way of the wicked is as darkness; they know not at what they stumble.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

The way of the wicked is as darkness: They know not at what they stumble.

Young’s Literal Translation

The way of the wicked [is] as darkness, They have not known at what they stumble.

World English Bible

The way of the wicked is like darkness. They don’t know what they stumble over.

Darby Translation

The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

Douay-Rheims

The way of the wicked is darksome: they know not where they fall.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

The way of the wicked is as darkness; they know not at what they stumble.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

But the ways of the ungodly are dark; they know not how they stumble.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Αἱ δὲ ὁδοὶ τῶν ἀσεβῶν σκοτειναὶ, οὐκ οἴδασι πῶς προσκόπτουσιν.