Proverbs 6:12

WARNING AGAINST DECEITFUL MEN; THINGS GOD HATES (THE ELEVENTH DISCOURSE)

"A worthless person, a man of iniquity,

Is he that walketh with a perverse mouth;

That winketh with his eyes, that speaketh with his feet,

That maketh signs with his fingers;

In whose heart is perverseness,

Who deviseth evil continually,

Who soweth discord.

Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly;

On a sudden shall he be broken, and that without remedy.

There are six things which Jehovah hateth;

Yea, seven which are an abomination unto him:

Haughty eyes, a lying tongue,

And hands that shed innocent blood;

A heart that deviseth wicked purposes,

Feet that are swift in running to mischief,

A false witness that uttereth lies,

And he that soweth discord among brethren."

"A worthless person, a man of iniquity" (Proverbs 6:12). Beginning here and through Proverbs 6:15 we have a description of a wicked and deceitful man; but it is not revealed just what was meant by the various winks, signs, gestures and other bodily movements by which he made evil signals, communicated with confederates, or in other ways hoodwinked, deceived and conspired against his victims. The picture of this evil person that emerges here is that of an underhanded deceiver who concealed his true intentions by these `signs' and `signals.' "There is a similar description of a corrupt person, with a prediction of his coming to a bad end in Proverbs 26:23-26."[21]

THE SEVEN THINGS THAT THE LORD HATES

Here again we encounter a popular memory verse. Both Harris and Delitzsch consider these seven sins as climactic, the seventh, "sowing discord among brethren" being considered as the most serious of the seven.[22] It appears to this writer, as Driver expressed it that, "All these things belong together,"[23] giving a number of characteristics of the same person, a person revealed here as totally evil. Note that his eyes have a proud look; his tongue tells lies; his hands murder the innocent; his heart is full of wicked purposes; his feet run quickly on evil errands - all of these are parts of one man! The last two abominable things are the composite product of all this, namely, that person who by lying speeches sows discord among brethren. In that sense, of course, we may view these as presenting a climax in the seventh. However, "It is the heart that underlies the seven vices which are an abomination to God; and it occupies the central position here,"[24] because it is the fountain from which all evil flows.

Another significant thing here is the fact that, "This passage reflects an acquaintance with the Old Testament,"[25] especially the Pentateuch. The Law of Moses gave specific prohibitions against all of the things mentioned here.

It has been noted that there is an amazing resemblance in the thought of these verses as compared with the Beatitudes of Matthew 5, particularly in the first and last of the two lists. "`The Lord hates a proud look,' is practically the equivalent of, `Blessed are the poor in spirit'; and, `He that soweth discord among brethren,' is the exact converse of, `Blessed are the peacemakers.'"[26]