Proverbs 25:18 - Exposition

Hebrew, A maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow—a man that beareth false witness against his neighbour (see on Proverbs 25:11 ). One who bears false witness against his neighbour prepares for him the instruments of death, such as those mentioned here. "A maul" ( mephits ), usually a heavy wooden hammer (compare malleus and "mallet"); here a club, or mace, used in battle, ῥόπαλον . There is a kind of climax in the three offensive weapons named—the club bruises, the sword inflicts wounds, the arrow pierces to the heart; and the three may represent the various baneful effects of false testimony, how it bruises reputation, spoils possessions, deprives of life. The second clause is from the Decalogue ( Exodus 20:16 ).