King James Bible
"The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul."
The metaphor of a "highway" suggests a clear, well-established path that the righteous follow—one defined by actively turning away from evil. In ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature, the road or path imagery commonly represented life's moral choices, with the upright person's defining characteristic being their deliberate avoidance of wickedness. Those who vigilantly guard their chosen path (staying on the "highway" of righteousness) protect their very life and well-being. The Hebrew concept of "soul" (nephesh) encompasses the whole person, indicating that moral vigilance safeguards not just spiritual but also physical and social flourishing.