Proverbs 26:25
in Proverbs 26When he speaks graciously, do not believe him, for seven abominations fill his heart.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
When he speaketh fair, believe him not; For there are seven abominations in his heart:
KJV
When he speaketh fair, believe him not: for there are seven abominations in his heart.
⋯
This verse in Proverbs 26
Commentary
6 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Seven abominations - Compare Pro 26:16 note. Here “seven” retains, perhaps, its significance as the symbol of completeness. Evil has, as it were, gone through all its work, and holds its accursed Sabbath in the heart in which all things are “very evil.”
This site's exposition
Like glaze covering an earthen vessel
on Proverbs 26:23-28
The chapter pictures "burning lips and a wicked heart" as "glaze covering an earthen vessel." The hater who speaks graciously hides seven abominations. The digger who falls into his own pit and the stone that rolls back are the reversal enacted at Psalm 7:15-16 and in Haman's gallows.
This site's exposition
seven abominations fill his heart
Seven marks completeness here, as Albert Barnes reads it. Evil has done all its work in such a heart and keeps its own accursed Sabbath there. However graciously such a man speaks, his heart is full of abominations.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
When he speaketh fair, believe him not,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Sentiment of Pr 26:24 carried out. seven abominations in his heart--that is, very many (compare Pr 24:16). Deceit will at last be exposed, and the wicked by their own arts often bring on retribution (compare Pr 12:13;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
When he speaketh fair - For there are such hypocrites and false friends in the world. Believe him not - Let all his professions go for nothing. For there are seven abominations in his heart - That is, he is full of abominations.
The words behind it
10 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | if | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| יְחַנֵּ֣ן | yechanen | he will make favorable | H2603 → | 78 times |
| ק֭וֹלוֹ | kolo | voice his | H6963 → | 506 times |
| אַל־ | ʾal- | may not | H408 → | 724 times |
| תַּֽאֲמֶן־ | taamen- | you trust | H539 → | 106 times |
| בּ֑וֹ | bo | in him | ||
| כִּ֤י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| שֶׁ֖בַע | sheva' | seven | H7651 → | 394 times |
| תּוֹעֵב֣וֹת | toevot | abominations | H8441 → | 117 times |
| בְּלִבּֽוֹ׃ | belibo | [are] in heart his | H3820 → | 595 times |
כִּֽי־if
ki-H3588 →4482 times
יְחַנֵּ֣ןhe will make favorable
yechanenH2603 →78 times
ק֭וֹלוֹvoice his
koloH6963 →506 times
אַל־may not
ʾal-H408 →724 times
תַּֽאֲמֶן־you trust
taamen-H539 →106 times
בּ֑וֹin him
bo
כִּ֤יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
שֶׁ֖בַעseven
sheva'H7651 →394 times
תּוֹעֵב֣וֹתabominations
toevotH8441 →117 times
בְּלִבּֽוֹ׃[are] in heart his
beliboH3820 →595 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 28:3Do not drag me away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, who speak peace to their neighbors while malice is in their hearts.
it leads to
- Psalms 12:2
They lie to one another; they speak with flattering lips and a double heart.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 55:21
His speech is smooth as butter, but war is in his heart. His words are softer than oil, yet they are swords unsheathed.
- Jeremiah 9:8–9
Their tongues are deadly arrows; they speak deception. With his mouth a man speaks peace to his neighbor, but in his heart he sets a trap for him.
- Psalms 12:2
Through
Matthew 24:23At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There He is!’ do not believe it.
it leads to
- Luke 21:8
Jesus answered, “See to it that you are not deceived. For many will come in My name, claiming, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them.
- Luke 17:23–24
People will tell you, ‘Look, there He is!’ or ‘Look, here He is!’ Do not go out or chase after them.
- Luke 21:8
Through
Jeremiah 12:6Even your brothers—your own father’s household—even they have betrayed you; even they have cried aloud against you. Do not trust them, though they speak well of you.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 9:4
“Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander.
- Micah 7:5–6
Do not rely on a friend; do not trust in a companion. Seal the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms.
- Genesis 37:4–11
When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.
- Jeremiah 9:4
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Proverbs
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Proverbs of Solomon; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.