A fool’s lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating.
Parallel translations
- WEB A fool’s lips come into strife, and his mouth invites beatings.
- KJV A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes.
- NKJV A fool’s lips enter into contention, And his mouth calls for blows.
- NASB A fool’s lips bring strife, And his mouth invites beatings.
- NLT Fools’ words get them into constant quarrels; they are asking for a beating.
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 fool's words stir up conflict and provoke punishment. Reckless speech invites strife and harm.
Overview
The fool's lips drag him into quarrels, and his mouth practically invites a beating, showing how undisciplined speech brings trouble on its owner. Together with the next verse it underscores the destructive power of careless words. Scripture urges gentle, wise speech that turns away wrath (Prov. 15:1), a self-control that the Spirit cultivates in those who belong to Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Prov 27:3A stone is heavy and sand is a burden, but aggravation from a fool outweighs them both.
- Prov 16:27–28A worthless man digs up evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.
- Prov 22:24–25Do not make friends with an angry man, and do not associate with a hot-tempered man,
- Prov 17:14To start a quarrel is to release a flood; so abandon the dispute before it breaks out.
- Prov 13:10Arrogance leads only to strife, but wisdom is with the well-advised.
- Prov 25:24Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.
- Prov 20:3It is honorable for a man to resolve a dispute, but any fool will quarrel.
- Prov 29:9If a wise man goes to court with a fool, there will be raving and laughing with no resolution.
- Prov 14:16A wise man fears and turns from evil, but a fool is careless and reckless.
- Prov 14:3The proud speech of a fool brings a rod to his back, but the lips of the wise protect them.
- Prov 12:16A fool’s anger is known at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.
- Prov 19:19A man of great anger must pay the penalty; if you rescue him, you will have to do so again.
- Prov 19:29Judgments are prepared for mockers, and beatings for the backs of fools.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 18:6 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.