Proverbs 18:1-8

Speech and fools.
v.1 Antisocial. Whoever isolates himself (antisocial behavior) seeks after selfish desires (schismatic) breaking out against (snarl) wisdom and resourcefulness (sound judgment).
v.2 Understanding. The fool has no interest in wisdom, he just wants to express his own opinion. He is in love with his opinions and loves to spew them out. He asks questions not to learn wisdom but to show how clever he is. See 12:23.
v.3 Disgrace. The wicked bring with them contempt, dishonor and disgrace. The point seems to be that punishment for the wicked comes in part from the community (shame and disgrace). See 11:2.
v.4 Deep waters. Deep waters speak of profound words flowing from the wise while the bubbling brook speaks of refreshing, beneficial words (and perhaps: life giving). See 10:11. Another reading (Waltke) says the deep waters of an ordinary man are unfathomable and potentially dangerous, while the words of the wise are readily accessible and nurture life.
v.5 Justice. It is bad to be partial to the wicked or to deprive the righteous (or innocent) of justice, see 17:15. The law prohibited favoritism of any kind, see Lv 19:15.
v.6 A beating. A fool’s speech walks him into a fight and invites a beating. We should consider carefully what we say. Turn anger away with a kind word (15:1).
v.7 The fool’s mouth. The mouth of a fool gets him into all kinds of trouble (ruin). See also 10:14. His lips are a snare to his soul (bringing on calamity).
v.8 A whisperer. The words of a whisperer (gossip/rumors) are like candy that goes down deep into the body (stimulating a desire for more). Also 26:22.

Read Proverbs 18:1-8

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