Proverbs 10:18
in Proverbs 10The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He that hideth hatred is of lying lips; And he that uttereth a slander is a fool.
KJV
He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.
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This verse in Proverbs 10
Commentary
6 notes on this verseHe that hideth hatred with lying lips,.... Or he whose "lying lips hide hatred", which is much the same; who pretends to be a friend, and outwardly behaves as one, but inwardly nourishes and cherishes hatred in his heart, which he covers and conceals, till he has a proper opportunity of showing it; as Absalom to Ammon, Joab to Amasa, the men of Anathoth to Jeremiah, and Judas to Christ; see Pro 26:24. Or, "he that hideth hatred is a man of lying lips" (m); he is a liar, as the person next described is a fool.
This site's exposition
The wealth of the rich man is his fortified city
on Proverbs 10:15-19
Verses framed as consequence follow: “Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life”. Verse 18 names the liar's trade, hatred hidden behind “lying lips”. The cluster reaches its center at verse 19: “When words are many, sin is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise”.
This site's exposition
The one who conceals hatred has lying lips
The verse names two faults of the tongue: hatred hidden behind friendly words, and hatred spoken openly as slander. John Gill gives Joab's greeting to Amasa and the kiss of Judas as examples of the first. Either way the speaker is a fool.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
Lying lips hide hatred, etc. Therefore, if you desire to be truthful and wise, neither conceal hatred in the secret of the heart, nor express slander through the mouth; but let your heart be filled with love and your mouth with truth.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
He that hideth - This is a common case. How many, when full of resentment, and deadly hatred, meditating revenge and cruelty, and sometimes even murder, have pretended that they thought nothing of the injury they had sustained; had passed by the insult, etc.! Thus lying lips covered the malevolence of a wicked heart.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Better, He who hideth hatred is of lying lips. He who cherishes hatred, is either a knave, or a fool - a knave if he hides, a fool if he utters it.
The words behind it
8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| מְכַסֶּ֣ה | mekhaseh | [one who] conceals | H3680 → | 152 times |
| שִׂ֭נְאָה | sinah | hatred | H8135 → | 17 times |
| שִׂפְתֵי־ | siftei- | [is] lips of | H8193 → | 176 times |
| שָׁ֑קֶר | shaker | falsehood | H8267 → | 113 times |
| וּמוֹצִ֥א | umotzi' | and [one who] spreads | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| דִ֝בָּ֗ה | dibah | an evil report | H1681 → | |
| ה֣וּא | hu' | he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| כְסִֽיל׃ | khesil | [is] a fool | H3684 → | 70 times |
מְכַסֶּ֣ה[one who] conceals
mekhasehH3680 →152 times
שִׂ֭נְאָהhatred
sinahH8135 →17 times
שִׂפְתֵי־[is] lips of
siftei-H8193 →176 times
שָׁ֑קֶרfalsehood
shakerH8267 →113 times
וּמוֹצִ֥אand [one who] spreads
umotzi'H3318 →1067 times
דִ֝בָּ֗הan evil report
dibahH1681 →
ה֣וּאhe
hu'H1931 →1879 times
כְסִֽיל׃[is] a fool
khesilH3684 →70 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 15:3who has no slander on his tongue, who does no harm to his neighbor, who casts no scorn on his friend,
it leads to
- Romans 13:10
Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
- Psalms 101:5–8
Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; the one with haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not endure.
- Matthew 7:12
In everything, then, do to others as you would have them do to you. For this is the essence of the Law and the Prophets.
- James 4:11
Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. And if you judge the law, you are not a practitioner of…
- Romans 13:10
Through
Psalms 55:21His speech is smooth as butter, but war is in his heart. His words are softer than oil, yet they are swords unsheathed.
it leads to
- Psalms 57:4
My soul is among the lions; I lie down with ravenous beasts— with men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.
- Proverbs 5:3–4
Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil,
- Psalms 28:3
Do 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.
- Proverbs 26:28
A lying tongue hates those it crushes, and a flattering mouth causes ruin.
- Psalms 57:4
Where this verse is studied
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); Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament.