Proverbs 18:6

6 The words of fools start quarrels. They make people want to beat them.

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 Spoken words can be like deep water, but wisdom is like a flowing stream.
5 It is not good to honor the wicked or to be unfair to the innocent.
6 The words of fools start quarrels. They make people want to beat them.
7 The words of fools will ruin them; their own words will trap them.
8 The words of a gossip are like tasty bits of food. People like to gobble them up.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.