Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge Him,
and He will make your paths straight.
About this passage
Proverbs 3:5-6 sits within a longer instruction in the Book of Proverbs, spoken by a teacher to a son. Tradition credits much of the book to Solomon, though it is a collection from several periods and authors.
The two verses are a pair. The first calls for trust in the LORD with all the heart and warns against leaning on one's own understanding. The second says to acknowledge him in all one's ways, and the outcome is described in terms of straight paths.
That last clause is translated in two ways: that he will make your paths straight, or that he will direct them. The Hebrew can be read either as guidance or as the removal of obstacles. The verses are popular in Jewish and Christian teaching on trust and wisdom, and the LORD in capitals stands for the divine name.
Questions
Who wrote Proverbs 3:5-6?
Tradition credits Solomon with much of Proverbs. Scholars note the book collects sayings from several authors and periods, so the verses are best described as part of Israel's wisdom tradition rather than the work of one known writer.
What does make your paths straight mean?
Translations differ. Some say God will make the paths straight, others that he will direct them. Readers take it as guidance or as help with obstacles, and the text does not describe how it happens.