Proverbs 18:6

18:4. The well-spring of wisdom in the heart of a believer, continually supplies words of wisdom. 5. The merits of a cause must be looked to, not the person. 6,7. What mischief bad men do to themselves by their ungoverned tongues! 8. How base are those that sow contention! and what fatal effects may be expected from small beginnings of jealousy! 9. Omissions of duty, and in duty, are fatal to the soul, as well as commissions of sin. 10,11. The Divine power, made known in and through our Lord Jesus Christ, forms a strong tower for the believer, who relies on the Lord. How deceitful the defence of the rich man, who has his portion and treasure in this world! It is a strong city and a high wall only in his own conceit; for it will fail when most in need. They will be exposed to the just wrath of that Judge whom they despised as a Saviour. 12. After the heart has been lifted up with pride, a fall comes. But honour shall be the reward of humility. 13. Eagerness, with self-conceit, will expose to shame. 14. Firmness of mind supports under many pains and trials. But when the conscience is tortured with remorse, no human fortitude can bear the misery; what then will hell be? 15. We must get knowledge, not only into our heads, but into our hearts. 16. Blessed be the Lord, who makes us welcome to come to his throne, without money and without price. May his gifts make room for him in our souls.

A fool's lips enter into contention,.... That is, between others, when he has nothing to do with it; but he must be meddling, and make himself a party in the contention, which is an argument of his folly; he says things which occasion disputes, raise contentions among men, and provoke to wrath and anger. The Septuagint version is, "the lips of a fool lead him to evils": for, as they lead him to contention and strife, the issue of that is confusion and every evil work; and his mouth calleth for strokes: as he stirs up and encourages contention, so he proceeds to blows, and excites others to them; from words he goes to blows, and, by the ill and provoking language of his mouth, gets many a blow to himself. Jarchi seems to understand it of chastisement, from the hand of God; see Proverbs 26:3.

6 . enter into ] The Heb. may mean either “come into,” or “come with,” “bring” (R.V. marg.). strokes ] Or, stripes , R.V., as the same Heb. word is rendered in Proverbs 19:29 , the only other place in which it occurs. Some, however, take “calleth for” to mean “provokes,” “causes.” “Os ejus jurgia provocat,” Vulg.; “In causa est ut a verbis ad verbera veniatur,” Maur., which accords with “bring” contention, if that be adopted in the first clause.

Verse 6. - A fool's lips enter into contention; literally, come with quarrel (comp. Psalm 66:13 ); i.e. they lead him into strife and quarrels; miscent se rixis , Vulgate; "lead him into evils," Septuagint. The foolish man meddles with disputes in which he is not concerned, and by his silly interference not only exposes himself to reprisals, but also exacerbates the original difficulty. His mouth calleth for strokes. His words provoke severe punishment, "stripes for his back," as it is said in Proverbs 19:29 . Septuagint, "His mouth which is audacious calls for death." Proverbs 18:6

6 The lips of the fool engage in strife, And his mouth calleth for stripes. We may translate: the lips of the fool cause strife, for בּוא ב, to come with anything, e.g., Psalm 66:13, is equivalent to bring it (to bring forward), as also: they engage in strife; as one says בּוא בדמים: to be engaged in bloodshed, 1 Samuel 25:26. We prefer this intrant (ingerunt se), with Schultens and Fleischer. יבאוּ for תּבאנה, a synallage generis, to which, by means of a "self-deception of the language" (Fl.), the apparent masculine ending of such duals may have contributed. The stripes which the fool calleth for (קרא ל, like Proverbs 2:3) are such as he himself carries off, for it comes a verbis ad verbera. The lxx: his bold mouth calleth for death (פיו ההמה מות יקרא); למהלמות has, in codd. and old editions, the Mem raphatum, as also at 19:29; the sing. is thus מהלוּם, like מנוּל to מנעליו, for the Mem dagessatum is to be expected in the inflected מהלם, by the passing over of the ō into ǔ.

[Bible] Proverbs Chapter 18 18:1. He that hath a mind to depart from a friend, seeketh occasions: he shall ever be subject to reproach. 18:2. A fool receiveth not the words of prudence: unless thou say those things which are in his heart. 18:3. The wicked man, when he is come into the depths of sins, contemneth: but ignominy and reproach follow him. 18:4. Words from the mouth of a man are as deep water: and the fountain of wisdom is an overflowing stream. 18:5. It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to decline from the truth of judgment. 18:6. The lips of a fool intermeddle with strife: and his mouth provoketh quarrels. 18:7. The mouth of a fool is his destruction: and his lips are the ruin of his soul. 18:8. The words of the double tongued are as if they were harmless: and they reach even to the inner parts of the bowels. Fear casteth down the slothful: and the souls of the effeminate shall be hungry. 18:9. He that is loose and slack in his work, is the brother of him that wasteth his own works. 18:10. The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the just runneth to it, and shall be exalted. 18:11. The substance of the rich man is the city of his strength, and as a strong wall compassing him about. 18:12. Before destruction, the heart of a man is exalted: and before he be glorified, it is humbled. 18:13. He that answereth before he heareth, sheweth himself to be a fool, and worthy of confusion. 18:14. The spirit of a man upholdeth his infirmity: but a spirit that is easily angered, who can bear? 18:15. A wise heart shall acquire knowledge: and the ear of the wise seeketh instruction. 18:16. A man's gift enlargeth his way, and maketh him room before princes. 18:17. The just is first accuser of himself: his friend cometh, and shall search him. 18:18. The lot suppresseth contentions, and determineth even between the mighty. 18:19. A brother that is helped by his brother, is like a strong city: and judgments are like the bars of cities.

PROVERBS 18: 12 Before destruction the heart of man is proud, but before honour is humility. Verse 12 Before destruction - See on Proverbs 11:2 (note); Proverbs 16:18 (note). PROVERBS 18: 13 He who gives answer before he hears, that is folly and shame to him. Verse 13 He that answereth a matter - This is a common case; before a man can tell out his story, another will begin his. Before a man has made his response, the other wishes to confute piecemeal, though he has had his own speech already. This is foolishness to them. They are ill-bred. There are many also that give judgment before they hear the whole of the cause, and express an opinion before they hear the state of the case. How absurd, stupid, and foolish! PROVERBS 18: 14 A man’s spirit will sustain him in sickness, but a crushed spirit, who can bear? Verse 14 The spirit of a man will sustain - A man sustains the ills of his body, and the trials of life, by the strength and energy of his mind. But if the mind be scoundrel, if this be cast down, if slowconsuming care and grief have shot the dagger into the soul, what can then sustain the man? Nothing but the unseen God. Therefore, let the afflicted pray. A man's own spirit has, in general, sufficient fortitude to bear up under the unavoidable trials of life; but when the conscience is wounded by sin, and the soul is dying by iniquity, who can lift him up? God alone; for salvation is of the Lord. PROVERBS 18: 15 The heart of the discerning gets knowledge.