Proverbs 18:6

6 The words of a fool start fights; do him a favor and gag him.

Proverbs 18:6 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 18:6

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 ) .

Proverbs 18:6 In-Context

4 Many words rush along like rivers in flood, but deep wisdom flows up from artesian springs.
5 It's not right to go easy on the guilty, or come down hard on the innocent.
6 The words of a fool start fights; do him a favor and gag him.
7 Fools are undone by their big mouths; their souls are crushed by their words.
8 Listening to gossip is like eating cheap candy; do you really want junk like that in your belly?
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.