Bible Strands
Psalms 25:12
Who is the man who fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the path chosen for him.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist, mid-petition for forgiveness (v.11), shifts to a rhetorical question that names the condition for receiving divine direction. The "he" who instructs is the LORD.
The words — יְרֵא (yere', "fearing") names the human posture; יִבְחָר (yivchar, "he will choose") names the divine action on the path. The fear is not the path itself but the condition under which the LORD selects it.
The thread — Psalms 32:8 and 37:23 echo the same pattern: the LORD instructs the way and orders the steps of the one who delights in his journey. John 7:17 parallels the principle: desire to do His will produces knowledge of His teaching.
Why it lands — The verse is a mirror: it asks the reader to determine whether they are the one who fears the LORD, and if so, to accept that the path ahead is not self-chosen but divinely selected.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
What man is he that feareth the Lord? him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.
Cross-references
- Psalms 37:23 The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD who takes delight in his journey.
- Psalms 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will give you counsel and watch over you.
- John 7:17 If anyone desires to do His will, he will know whether My teaching is from God or whether I speak on My own.
- Psalms 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow His precepts gain rich understanding. His praise endures forever!
- Ecclesiastes 12:13 When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: Fear God and keep His commandments, because this is the whole duty of man.
- Isaiah 50:10 Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of His Servant? Who among you walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD; let him lean on his God.
- John 8:31 So He said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you are truly My disciples.
- John 3:20 Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.
- Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.
- Proverbs 15:33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, and humility comes before honor.