Proverbs 1:15-16. Walk not thou in the way with them — Avoid their courses, their conversation, and company. Refrain thy foot from their path — If thou shouldst have any thought, inclination, or temptation to hearken to their counsels, or to follow their examples, suppress it, and restrain thyself, as it were, by force and violence, as the word מנע, implies. For their feet run to evil — Without considering what they are doing, and shutting their eyes against the consequences, they make haste, not only to do evil to others, but also to bring evil upon themselves; to make haste to shed blood — Innocent blood, which is an inhuman practice, and a practice always followed by dreadful punishment, if not from man, yet certainly from God.

1:10-19 Wicked people are zealous in seducing others into the paths of the destroyer: sinners love company in sin. But they have so much the more to answer for. How cautious young people should be! Consent thou not. Do not say as they say, nor do as they do, or would have thee to do; have no fellowship with them. Who could think that it should be a pleasure to one man to destroy another! See their idea of worldly wealth; but it is neither substance, nor precious. It is the ruinous mistake of thousands, that they overvalue the wealth of this world. Men promise themselves in vain that sin will turn to their advantage. The way of sin is down-hill; men cannot stop themselves. Would young people shun temporal and eternal ruin, let them refuse to take one step in these destructive paths. Men's greediness of gain hurries them upon practices which will not suffer them or others to live out half their days. What is a man profited, though he gain the world, if he lose his life? much less if he lose his soul?The second form of temptation (see Proverbs 1:10 note) appeals to the main attraction of the robber-life, its wild communism, the sense of equal hazards and equal hopes. 15, 16. The society of the wicked (way or path) is dangerous. Avoid the beginnings of sin (Pr 4:14; Ps 1:1; 119:101). Walk not thou in the way with them; avoid their courses and their conversation, and company.

Refrain thy foot from their path; when thou hast any thought, or inclination, or temptation to follow their counsels or examples, suppress it, and restrain thyself as it were by force and violence, as the word implies.

My son, walk not thou in the way with them,.... In the same way as they do, which is the broad way that leads unto destruction; set not one foot in it; make no trial of it, whether it will be pleasant and profitable walking in it; the experiment will be dangerous;

refrain thy foot from their path; their manner and course of life; do not follow it, nor join them in it; when there is an inclination or a temptation to it, withstand it; stop in time, do not proceed, but draw back, and go on in the way thou hast been trained up in, and remember the instructions of thy parents.

My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their {n} path:

(n) That is, have nothing at all to do with them.