Proverbs 17:4
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A wicked man listens to evil lips; a liar gives ear to a destructive tongue.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
Note, 1. Those that design to do ill support themselves by falsehood and lying: A wicked doer gives ear, with a great deal of pleasure, to false lips, that will justify him in the ill he does, to those that aim to make public disturbances, catch greedily at libels, and false stories, that defame the government and the administration. 2. Those that take the liberty to tell lies take a pleasure in hearing them told: A liar gives heed to a malicious backbiting tongue, that he may have something to graft his lies upon, and with which to give them some colour of truth and so to support them. Sinners will strengthen one another's hands; and those show that they are bad themselves who court the acquaintance and need the assistance of those that are bad.
Open source ↗17:4 Lies (6:16-19; 14:5, 25; 25:18), gossip (11:13; 18:8), and slander (10:18) distort reality for malicious purposes.
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
Other passages the community most often connects to this one. Tap to read.
They are of the world. That is why they speak from the world’s perspective, and the world listens to them.
Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law resist them.
They say to the seers, “Stop seeing visions!” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us the truth! Speak to us pleasant words; prophesy illusions.
The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority. My people love it so, but what will you do in the end?