barred my ways … made my paths crooked: This image describes confusion and trouble. Sin can block a person’s path and make life difficult. It can prevent a person or a community from experiencing a hopeful future.
In the Bible, a straight road often represents a good and clear future. Proverbs says that innocent people walk on a straight path (Proverbs 21:8). Isaiah describes the Lord coming on a straight road that his worshipers would prepare (Isaiah 40:3).