Proverbs 26:22

22 The words of a gossip are like tasty bits of food; people like to gobble them up.

Proverbs 26:22 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 26:22

The words of a talebearer [are] as wounds, and they go down
into the innermost parts of the belly.
] These expressions are the same with those in ( Proverbs 18:8 ) ; and are here repeated, as being found along with others by the men of Hezekiah, ( Proverbs 25:1 ) ; as some others likewise are; and also because of the importance of them; and to impress the minds of men with a sense of the evil of such a practice, that they may shun it, and avoid those that are given to it. (See Gill on Proverbs 18:8).

Proverbs 26:22 In-Context

20 Without wood, a fire will go out, and without gossip, quarreling will stop.

21 Just as charcoal and wood keep a fire going, a quarrelsome person keeps an argument going.

22 The words of a gossip are like tasty bits of food; people like to gobble them up.

23 Kind words from a wicked mind are like a shiny coating on a clay pot.

24 Those who hate you may try to fool you with their words, but in their minds they are planning evil.