An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.
Parallel translations
- WEB A worthless man devises mischief. His speech is like a scorching fire.
- BSB A worthless man digs up evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.
- NKJV An ungodly man digs up evil, And it is on his lips like a burning fire.
- NASB A worthless person digs up evil, While his words are like scorching fire.
- NLT Scoundrels create trouble; their words are a destructive blaze.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A worthless person plots evil, and their speech burns like fire. It matters because destructive words can scorch and harm like flame.
Overview
This proverb describes the ungodly man as one who devises mischief, whose speech is a scorching fire. It warns of the damage caused by malicious words and schemes. James similarly compares the tongue to a fire that can set life ablaze (James 3:6).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Jas 3:6And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
- Prov 6:14Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.
- Isa 5:18Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope:
- Ps 57:4My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.
- Ps 17:14–15From men which are thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure: they are full of children, and leave the rest of their substance to their babes.
- 1 Sam 25:17Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial, that a man cannot speak to him.
- Prov 6:12A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.
- Ps 52:2–4Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
- Prov 2:4If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
- 2 Sam 20:1And there happened to be there a man of Belial, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjamite: and he blew a trumpet, and said, We have no part in David, neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: every man to his tents, O Israel.
- Hab 2:13Behold, is it not of the LORD of hosts that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people shall weary themselves for very vanity?
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 16:27 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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