A man of Belial, a wicked person, is he that goeth about with a perverse mouth;
One line of Proverbs sketches a whole character. The man is empty of worth, and his crooked speech gives him away. Two questions follow: what makes a person "worthless" in God's eyes, and why the portrait starts with the mouth.
The verses just before this warn against laziness. Kelly sees the writer turning here to something worse.
Laziness is unworthy. It is bad and unwise for anyone to be idle. But it is far worse to be active in evil, for this works endless mischief to others. The Holy Spirit first draws a portrait of the dangerous man in verses 12 to 15. Then, in verses 16 to 19, He sets out the evils themselves rather than the man, except at the close. These are the evils that Jehovah hates.
Idleness wastes a life. This man is on the move, spending his energy — and other people pay for it.
The older wording behind "worthless person" is "man of Belial." Commentators tie that name to what is missing inside the man.
Verse 12 describes the perverseness of the wicked man, the man of Belial. He is empty of God in his thinking, and so he follows what is empty. At every moment he is at mischief. Perverseness is in his heart, so it comes out through every means he has of signalling anything. He devises mischief all the time, causing discord among others — a sad picture.
The verse gives him two names, not one.
The first term reveals the evil source. The second describes him as a man, in general, whatever his position.
Of all the marks that could be listed, the verse starts with speech. Kelly points to what the tongue was made for.
God gave the tongue to praise Him and to help other people. This man's tongue shows all too clearly what he is: he walks with a crooked and perverse mouth. It is not just that he feels no affection — he has only twisted things to say. He likes to differ, and to hint at what is painful.
Note what this describes. Not swearing, not shouting — a habit of disagreeing and of dropping remarks that wound.
"Worthless" is a strong word, and commentators do not soften it. The portrait moves on from the mouth to the eyes, feet and fingers.
There are some, sad to say, who are given up to wickedness and are therefore worthless. You will not find one redeeming feature in such a person (v. 12). They walk, but with a perverse mouth, their words twisted and corrupt. Winking with the eyes shows he means to deceive (v. 13). Shuffling his feet reveals a walk driven by selfish greed. He points his fingers at others to accuse them, while he keeps perversity in his own heart.
There is more to him than his own wrongdoing.
He carries on this stubborn, evil activity with the greatest skill. He does not only practise evil himself; he takes pleasure in those who do it, and in an underhand way he loves to make others his instruments.
Most wrongdoing chases something outside itself. Kelly finds this man different: the twisting is not the means, it is the goal.
The evil has a root deeper than his perverse mouth: deceits are in his heart. Other bad men may seek money, pleasure, or ambition. His heart has its pleasure in perverseness, and gratifying that perverse spirit is his business and his life; "he devises mischief at all times." His pleasure is to set people against each other; "he sends out, or sows, discords."
Reading a passage like this can feel like staring at something ugly. Darby answers that concern, and adds where such a life ends.
We cannot help feeling how much evil occupies us here, for we are in an evil world and our path lies through it. Only, I must learn it this way — in the Word, by faith. I must not learn it by practising it, or by growing familiar with the practice of it in the world. But judgment comes on such a man. Destruction comes on him when he does not expect it, and there is no remedy. He has been occupied with evil; nothing remains but judgment.
- Worthless — the older phrase "man of Belial" means a man with no God in his thinking. He follows what is empty.
- Mouth — God gave the tongue to praise Him and to help others. Crooked speech is the first sign that something is wrong underneath.
- Heart — the root lies deeper than the speech. Other men chase money, pleasure or ambition; this man's pleasure is perverseness itself.
- Mischief — that heart never rests. Eyes, feet and fingers all become tools, and setting people against each other is his life's work.
- End — this activity is worse than idleness, and it ends in sudden judgment with no remedy. Learn that from the Word by faith, not by growing familiar with evil in practice.
he winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;
Verses 12–15 draw a portrait of a worthless man, and this line watches his body: a wink, a scuff of the foot, a jab of the finger. Why does Scripture record such small movements, and what do they say about the heart behind them?
Scripture names this man before it shows a single gesture.
After the sluggard comes the worthless person. The picture is of a son of Belial (the term used in the Hebrew). He is a wicked person, a good-for-nothing, a man of iniquity; he has a lying mouth. Scripture gives a detailed description of his way and his work; everywhere he makes mischief and causes division.
The placing matters. The lazy man of the previous verses does nothing; this man is busy.
Unworthy as slothfulness is, bad and unwise for one to be idle, it is far worse to be active in evil, for this works mischief to others without end.
Each gesture targets a different person. Each one moves that person without a word.
There is not even openness in his twisted speech: he "winks with his eyes, signals with his feet, points with his finger." He works his persistent and evil activity with the utmost skill. He does wrong himself, and he also takes pleasure in those who do it. In an underhand way he loves to make others his instruments. A wink of his eyes is enough for one. A shuffle of his feet influences another. Even his restless fingers give a signal to a third.
Read one by one, the three movements expose three different faults.
Winking with the eyes shows he means to deceive (v. 13), and shuffling his feet reveals a walk driven by mere selfish greed. He points his fingers to accuse others, while he keeps perversity in his own heart.
The gestures are only symptoms. One writer traces them back to their source, and warns us how to learn about evil like this.
What follows (v. 12) describes the perverseness of the wicked man, the man of Belial, the man who has no thought of God in his mind and so follows emptiness. At every moment he is at mischief: his eyes, his feet, his fingers, all seem to carry on mischief. Perverseness is in his heart; so it works through everything he can signal with... But we cannot help feeling how much we are occupied with evil here, for we are in an evil world, and our path lies through it. Only I have to learn it in the Word by faith, and not by practising it, or by growing familiar with the practice of it in the world.
Proverbs returns to the wink in chapter 10, where one writer refuses to treat it as a small thing.
Verse 10 is full of meaning. "Whoever winks the eye causes trouble." He may be ever so much on his guard. He may go no further than a sign of his evil eyes. Yet he "causes trouble," and the proverb defines it no further. It may be trouble to himself as well as to others.
(Older translations render the word "grief" rather than "trouble.")
The portrait does not stop at the gestures. One writer names what this man is working for, and how he ends.
Since he despises what is good, he keeps himself busy devising evil schemes. His special aim is to make the righteous suffer. He sows discord, for he hates to see people living in peace. Of course it is by lies that he sows discord, and then he finds pleasure in the painful results of his bad work. But he has not considered how his evil ends: his calamity comes suddenly, and he is broken with no remedy (v. 15). How dreadful his end!
The list that follows in verses 16–19 closes on the same note, and one writer sets it against a psalm about unity.
The goodness of God, who shows us the truth about ourselves, leads to repentance; and He is the God of peace, in the fullest contrast with the man who "sends out discords among brothers." "Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!" How hateful to Jehovah is the man who sows discord among brothers!
- Heart — perverseness sits in the heart first. From there it "works through everything he can signal with." The eyes, feet and fingers only show what is already inside.
- Signals — the wink, the shuffle and the pointing finger are speech without words. One sign is enough for each man he uses, so others do the wrong while he keeps his hands clean.
- Deceit — every sign has a purpose. The wink means to deceive, the feet betray greed, and the fingers accuse others while his own heart is perverse.
- Discord — the aim of all this signalling is to break up peace by lies, and he enjoys the pain his work causes.
- Ruin — a wink is never free of cost. It "causes trouble," maybe for himself as well as for others, and in the end he is broken with no remedy.
deceits are in his heart; he deviseth mischief at all times, he soweth discords.
This verse sits inside a portrait of a dangerous man. His eyes, feet and fingers are busy signalling, but something deeper drives them. Verse 14 names it: a twisted heart that plans harm without a break and pushes out quarrels wherever it can reach.
The verses just before this warn against laziness. Commentators say this man is worse, because he aims his energy outward at others.
Laziness is unworthy, and it is bad and unwise to be idle. But it is far worse to be active in evil, because that does endless harm to others. In verses 12 to 15 the Holy Spirit first draws a portrait of the dangerous man. Then in verses 16 to 19 He sets out the evils themselves, naming no person until the end. These are the things Jehovah strongly hates.
Verse 13 lists winks, shuffling feet, pointing fingers. Verse 14 goes underneath them and names the source. Other men chase money or pleasure; this man's appetite is the twistedness itself.
The evil has a root deeper than his twisted mouth: "deceits are in his heart." Other bad men may want money, pleasure or ambition. His heart wants what is twisted. Satisfying that twisted spirit is his business and his life: "he devises mischief at all times." His pleasure is to set people fighting each other: "he sends out, or sows, discords."
Kelly's translation reads "deceits are in his heart"; other versions read a perverted heart. Either way, the gestures of verse 13 are only the outlets.
Why is every part of him busy this way? One writer answers: God has no place in his mind, so emptiness fills it.
What follows (v. 12) describes the perverse ways of the wicked man, the man of Belial, the man who has no God in his mind and so follows emptiness. Every moment he is busy with mischief. His eyes, his feet, his fingers all seem to carry it on. Perverseness is in his heart, so it works out through everything he can signal with. He devises mischief without stopping and causes discord among others — a sad picture. We cannot help feeling how much we are taken up with evil here, for we are in an evil world and our path runs through it. But I have to learn this in the word by faith, not by practising it, and not by growing familiar with the practice of it in the world.
That last line is a caution. We are to learn this man from the page, not by growing familiar with him in life.
Sowing takes purpose. One writer names what this man scatters, why he scatters it, and where it ends.
Because he despises what is good, he keeps himself busy devising evil schemes, and his special aim is to make the righteous suffer. He sows discord, for he hates to see people living in peace. Of course, it is by lies that he sows discord, then finds pleasure in the painful results of his bad work. But he has not considered where his evil ends: "his calamity shall come suddenly, when he will be broken without remedy" (v. 15). How dreadful his end!
The list in verses 16-19 ends with the same sin this verse describes. It is hateful to God because it runs against His own character.
The goodness of God, who shows us the truth about ourselves, leads to repentance. And He is the God of peace, in the fullest contrast with the man "who sends out discord among brothers." "Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!" How hateful to Jehovah is the one who sows discord among brothers!
Few people set out to be this man. The warning is practical because the seed goes in through ordinary conversation.
Finally, "one who sows discord among brothers" falls under the same hatred as his evil does, unless he judges himself and stops such wickedness. There are various ways to sow discord, and it often begins with carrying tales. That is far worse than people generally think. A tale is easily stretched so badly that it causes results no one can ever reverse. Let us be careful not to put anyone in a bad light without need.
- Heart first. The winks and gestures of verse 13 are only the surface. The root goes deeper than the mouth: a twisted heart.
- Heart at work. His business and his life is satisfying that twisted spirit, so he plans harm at all times.
- Heart empty. He has no God in his mind, so emptiness fills him. It works out through everything he can signal with.
- Heart hated. He sows discord by lies, because he hates to see people at peace. That puts him in fullest contrast with the God of peace.
- Heart broken. He has not considered the end. His calamity comes suddenly, and there is no remedy.
Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly in a moment shall he be broken, and without remedy.
Since verse 12 Solomon has been sketching a troublemaker — the winking eye, the shuffling foot, the heart full of twisted schemes — and verse 15 gives the verdict on him. Two questions press: why does the blow land so suddenly, and why is there no healing for it?
The blow falls on one kind of man. Darby names him by what he lacks: God has no place in his mind, so he chases what is empty.
What follows (v. 12) describes the perverseness of the wicked man, the man of Belial, the man who is void of God in his mind and who therefore follows what is empty. Every moment he is at mischief: his eyes, his feet, his fingers all seem to carry on mischief. Perverseness is in his heart, so it works out through everything he can signal with. He devises mischief continually, causing discord among others — a sad picture.
The verse opens with "therefore." That word ties the calamity to a settled habit of stirring up trouble. One writer traces the habit to its motive.
Since he despises what is good, he keeps himself busy devising evil schemes, especially aiming to make the righteous suffer. He sows discord, because he hates to see people living in peace. Of course it is by lies that he sows discord, and then he takes pleasure in the painful results of his bad work. But he has not considered where his evil ends, for "calamity will come upon him suddenly; in a moment he will be broken beyond healing" (v. 15). How dreadful his end!
The suddenness is not saved for a final day. Another writer points out that this proverb keeps proving itself in ordinary life.
Anyone who bows to the written Word cannot doubt how such a godless and malicious course must end. But even now, how often a blow falls on evil in this world!
Darby adds why nothing else is left for such a man: "He is unexpectedly destroyed without remedy. He has been occupied with evil; there remains but judgment."
The troublemaker of verse 12 is not the last of his kind. One writer follows the line to the end of the age.
But suddenly the calamity comes upon him. He shall be broken, and that without remedy. Such is the way of the man who despises wisdom, follows his old nature and plunges at last into the outer darkness. At the end there will yet appear "the man of sin," that wicked one. In him all these evils will reach their peak, and he will suddenly be broken without remedy. (See Daniel 11:45.)
Older translations put this phrase as "without remedy." Either way, the door has closed. That does not mean God never offered anything. One writer sets the verse beside Proverbs 29:1, where the man who is often corrected stiffens his neck. Behind the sudden crash lies a long history of warnings refused.
How long God's grace has pleaded with man! How earnest the invitations, how solemn the warnings, how tender the appeals that have come, as it were, from the heart of God to a perishing world! But it has all been in vain. And "He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing." God gives man over at last to taste the bitter fruits of his own wickedness and folly.
The timing is hidden and the break is final. So one writer turns the verse into an appeal to the reader.
But do not presume on the grace of God. If it is good to be saved, it had better be NOW; if you mean to be saved some day, let that some day be TODAY, for you do not know when death may meet you.
- The seed. The calamity grows out of a life: a perverse mouth, secret signals, a heart devising mischief, discord sown on purpose.
- The sentence. "Therefore" ties the crash to the conduct — he was so occupied with evil that nothing was left for him but judgment.
- The suddenness. The blow lands in a moment, and not only at the end. Writers see blows falling on evil in this world even now.
- The finality. "Beyond healing" closes a long story of warnings refused. God pleaded, the man would not listen, and God gives him over to the fruit of his own choice.
- The escape. The one thing not fixed is the reader's own moment; while the warning still sounds, today is the day to turn.
These six [things] doth Jehovah hate, yea, seven are an abomination unto him
Proverbs 6:16 opens a short list with an odd count: six things God hates, then seven. Why count this way, and what is that hatred aimed at?
The list follows a portrait of a troublemaker in verses 12–15. One commentator notes how the evils are presented differently from there on.
Laziness is unworthy, and it is bad and unwise to be idle. It is far worse to be active in evil, for this works endless harm to others. The Holy Spirit first draws a portrait of the dangerous man in verses 12 to 15. Then, in verses 16 to 19, He presents the evils on their own, apart from the closing one — and they are strongly hateful to Jehovah.
The rising count is not a slip. It draws the eye forward, and it also signals that the list is a sample rather than a complete inventory.
Though this is not a complete list of all the things the Lord hates, it is clear that many other evils grow out of these, and if so, then of course the Lord hates them too. It mentions six things first, then adds a seventh, as though the seventh is an afterthought, or is meant to draw special attention. People may think a proud look is a small thing, but even this is an abomination to the Lord (v. 17). "A lying tongue" nearly always points to hypocrisy — a wish to misrepresent the facts, usually for personal gain. This is so common that people think lightly of it, but God does not!
This could sound like God picking out people to loathe. One writer explains the direction of that hatred.
"A false witness who breathes out lies" can only expect God's hatred (v. 19). God does not single out the individual to hate him. But God's hatred of falsehood is absolute. So anyone who chooses falsehood is placing himself on the side of falsehood, and comes under that same dreadful hatred.
One writer sets the items of the list against the life of Jesus, and each one is His exact opposite.
Haughty eyes come first, or a proud look. What a contrast with Him who made heaven and earth and everything in them, when He was willing to become man here below! He was the dependent and obedient man, gentle and humble in heart. He always looked up and did only what pleased His Father. He was full of compassion toward suffering people, and ready to forgive the sinful. "A lying tongue" comes next. Jesus was not only true, He was the truth; He alone. Far from Him were "hands that shed innocent blood," since He was Himself the holy sufferer to the very end. But in man there may be something worse still: "a heart that devises wicked plans," in hateful and unmistakable likeness to the evil one. What could be more opposed to Jehovah and His Anointed?
The seventh item is sowing discord. One writer weighs it against what it cost to bring believers together.
Divisions among the children of God are not of God, but are of the flesh and the devil, and they please a scoffing world very well. The one who "sows discord among brothers" is one of the seven abominations in God's sight; He hates him (Prov. 6:19), and no wonder, since Jesus died to make them one and to bring them into harmony with God.
It usually starts in a very ordinary way:
There are various ways of sowing discord, and it often begins with talebearing. That is far worse than people think. A story can be stretched so badly that the damage will likely never be undone. Let us be careful not to put anyone in a bad light without need. Of course, if someone is clearly an enemy of God, we may need to warn others of his evil character. But that is different from sowing discord among brothers.
God expects His people to share that hatred. One writer admits we find this hard.
It is very difficult for us as Christians to hate, and to hate in a righteous, spiritual way... The Lord Jesus hated things because they stood against His God, and we must have those features too. God expects His people to hate them, to root them out of our own lives first, and to allow no room for them in others.
- Sample, not survey. The rising count from six to seven shows the list is not complete. Other evils grow out of these, and God hates them too.
- Small sins, named. A proud look and a lying tongue head the list — things people treat lightly, and God does not.
- Sides, not targets. God's hatred of falsehood is absolute. Whoever chooses falsehood steps onto its side and comes under that hatred.
- Christ, the reverse image. Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood — each is the exact opposite of Jesus.
- Discord, the climax. The list keeps the seventh for last. Dividing God's children undoes what Jesus died to make one, and it starts with talebearing.
haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood;
Proverbs 6:17 sits inside a short list God Himself draws up: six things He hates, with a seventh added for weight. This verse holds the first three items — the eyes, the tongue, the hands — and it raises a sharp question: why does God put a mere look beside murder?
The chapter has been warning against laziness before it reaches this list.
Laziness is unworthy, and it is bad and unwise to be idle. But it is far worse to be active in evil, because this does endless harm to others. The Holy Spirit first draws a portrait of the dangerous man in verses 12 to 15. Then, in verses 16 to 19, He presents the evils impersonally, except at the end — and these are the evils Jehovah emphatically hates.
So the same evils are stated twice — once as a man you could point at, once as qualities that could turn up in anyone. That double witness is deliberate:
They are set out in a more abstract style, which need not be in the same person. So in the mouth of these two divine testimonies every word might be the more established.
The count is not padding. The list also reaches beyond the seven items it names.
This is not a complete list of all the things the Lord hates. Yet many other evils clearly grow out of these, and if so, then of course the Lord hates them too. Six things are mentioned first, then comes "Yes, seven," as though the seventh is an afterthought, or is meant to draw special attention.
Pride heads the list, and it shows in nothing more than a look. That is the point of putting it first.
Pride is the first thing mentioned by the Lord, and it is the leading member of the seven things that are an abomination to the Lord (Prov. 6:17); it was the cause of Satan's downfall (Ezek. 28:17), and the cause of the fall of many another, as Scripture teaches: "One's pride will bring him low" (Prov. 29:23), and "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Prov. 16:18). Pride marks nations, people, and cities alike.
Kelly sets the proud look against the humility of the Creator who became a man:
Haughty eyes come first, or a proud look. What a contrast with Him who made heaven and earth, and everything in them, when He stooped to become man here below! He was the dependent and obedient man, meek and lowly in heart. He always looked up and did only what pleased His Father. He was full of compassion toward suffering people, and ready to forgive the sinful.
The second item is the one people excuse most easily, and that is the danger in it.
"A lying tongue" almost always shows hypocrisy. It is a wish to misrepresent the facts, usually for some personal advantage. Lying is so common that people make light of it — but not God!
God measures lying against His own glory:
Jehovah concerns Himself about every lie. Lying lips are an abomination to Him, just like an idol set up to rival and ruin His glory. So those who not only speak but deal truly are His delight.
No one defends the third item. But the first murder happened before any law forbade it.
Everyone's conscience speaks out against this, but some ignore their conscience completely. Cain did, when he killed his brother Abel (Gen. 4:8). No law such as "You shall not murder" existed then. Yet Cain knew he was a guilty man, and his lying proves it. God asked him, "Where is Abel your brother?" (Gen. 4:9).
Cain joins two of the three: his hands did the deed, and his tongue covered it.
This list is not for spectators.
It is often very difficult for us to hate as Christ hated, because some personal matter may stir up our hatred and our anger. But the Lord Jesus hated things because they stood against His God, and we too must have those features... God expects His people to hate them too, to make sure we first get rid of them in our own lives, and to make sure we allow them no room in others.
- Root. The list is not complete; many other evils grow out of these few, so God hates those too.
- Look. Pride comes first because it is the leading member — the cause of Satan's downfall and of many a fall since.
- Tongue. Lying is so common that people think lightly of it; God concerns Himself about every lie.
- Hands. Cain shed innocent blood before any law said "You shall not murder" — and his lying answer proved he knew.
- Mirror. Christ is the opposite of the proud look, and God's people must hate what He hates — starting in their own lives.
a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations; feet that are swift in running to mischief;
This verse sits in the middle of a short list of things the LORD hates. It names two of them, and they follow each other: evil is planned inside the heart, then rushed into action.
This list follows a warning about laziness. One writer notes that the danger has now moved up a level:
Laziness is unworthy, and it is bad and unwise to be idle. But it is far worse to be active in evil, for this does endless harm to others. In verses 12 to 15 the Holy Spirit first draws a portrait of the dangerous man. Then in verses 16 to 19 He sets out the evils themselves, without naming a person until the end — and the LORD strongly hates them.
The counting — six, and then seven — is itself deliberate:
This is not a complete list of everything the Lord hates. Still, it is clear that many other evils grow out of these, and if so, the Lord hates them too. Six things are listed first, and then it adds, "Yes, seven," as if the seventh came as an afterthought, or was meant to draw special attention.
The evils named just before this one can be seen from outside. This one cannot, and one writer calls it worse:
But in man there may be something worse still: "a heart that devises wicked imaginations." Here he looks hatefully and unmistakably like the evil one. What can be more opposed to the LORD and His Anointed?
(Older translations read "wicked imaginations" and "swift in running to mischief"; the ESV has "wicked plans" and "make haste to run to evil.")
Devising is not a passing thought. It is work the mind does on purpose:
Evil thoughts. These are the inward reasonings and debates of man's mind. Inside himself he weighs things up, he calculates, he plans his schemes of sinful pleasure or deliberate rebellion. "Things come into his mind, and he devises an evil device" (Ezek. 38:10; Micah 2:1-2)... The thoughts are hidden in the heart, and one of man's strange delusions is that they are therefore hidden from God, who knows everything.
What the heart plans, the feet rush to carry out. One writer puts a very different kind of running beside it:
Do we read of men's "feet swift and running to mischief"? The Son tells us of the father running to meet the prodigal son.
One writer finds both halves of the verse in a single man. Haman was an official at the Persian court:
Another thing the Lord hates is "a heart that devises wicked plans." This was true of Haman (Esther 3:8-10). Out of quiet hatred he planned to have all the Jews killed. God showed His own hatred of such evil by exposing Haman and putting him to death, and by judging those who joined him in this wicked plot. In fact, they were all bent on being swift to shed blood, their feet swift in running to evil (v. 18).
The same feet can be put to a completely different use. One writer traces that change through the whole body:
That mouth, once "full of cursing and bitterness," is now full of blessing. That tongue, long used to "deceit," now spreads the word of truth and life... Those feet, once "swift to shed blood," now "shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace," run gladly in the paths of mercy. A new power, the Holy Spirit, has taken over this clay vessel, and the parts of the body have become instruments of righteousness.
The list is not only about what God hates. It asks something of the reader:
It is very hard for us as Christians to hate, and to hate in a righteous, spiritual way. The Lord could hate as perfectly as He loved... the Lord Jesus hated things because they stood against His God, and we have to share those same features... God expects His people to hate them too. He expects us to root them out of our own lives first, and then to allow no room for them in others.
- Worse than idle. Being lazy is bad. Being active in evil is far worse, because it does endless harm to others.
- Deeper than deeds. Behind the evils people can see lies the heart that plans, and there man looks like the evil one himself.
- Never hidden. Scheming feels private. Believing that God cannot see those thoughts is one of man's strange delusions.
- Faster than thought. Planning does not stay still; it moves to the feet. Haman plotted, and those with him ran to shed blood.
- Re-shod feet. The same feet, once swift to shed blood, can be shod with the gospel of peace. So the list is not only what God hates. It is what He expects His people to hate, and to clear out of their own lives first.
a false witness that uttereth lies, and he that soweth discords among brethren.
This verse ends a list of seven things the Lord hates. It names two people: the witness who lies, and the one who splits brothers apart. Why does God hate the ruining of relationships so much, and how does such a person work?
The verse closes a section that first sketches a dangerous man, then names the evils themselves.
Laziness is unworthy, and it is bad and unwise for anyone to be idle. But it is far worse to be active in evil, for this works endless harm to others. In verses 12 to 15 the Holy Spirit first draws a portrait of the dangerous man. Then, in verses 16 to 19, He presents the evils themselves rather than a person, apart from the last one — evils the Lord strongly hates.
God's hatred here is not arbitrary dislike of an individual. It follows from what the man has chosen to be.
"A false witness who breathes out lies" can only expect God's hatred (v. 19). It is not that God singles out the individual to hate him. But God hates falsehood completely. So the one who chooses falsehood places himself on the side of falsehood, and comes under that same dreadful hatred.
The verse says he breathes out lies. One commentator shows why that is worse than an open attack:
Breathing out lies works better, and traps more people, than a loud, angry attack. A loud attack would catch attention and bring a quick answer that proves it false. But breathing out lies spreads the malice well, and spreads it widely, through trusted friends he has fooled, while the people he slanders never learn of the harm. It is a picture of complete corruption.
The earlier portrait in verses 12–15 shows what drives such a person. His trouble is not greed or ambition — it is a taste for friction itself.
The evil has a root deeper than his perverse mouth; "deceits are in his heart." Other bad men may seek money, pleasure, or ambition. His heart is set on perverseness. Feeding that perverse spirit is his business and his life; "he devises mischief at all times." His pleasure is to set people against each other; "he sends out, or sows, discords." Anyone who bows to the written Word cannot doubt how a course so ungodly and malicious will end. And even now, how often a blow falls on evil in this world!
Discord usually starts small. And warning others about a real enemy of God is not the same thing.
"One who sows discord among brothers" falls under the same hatred as his evil does, unless he judges this wickedness and stops. People sow discord in many ways. It often starts by carrying tales about others, which is far worse than people think. A tale is easily stretched, and the damage is likely never undone. Let us be careful not to put anyone in a bad light without need. Of course, if someone is clearly an enemy of God, we may need to warn others about his evil character. But that is different from sowing discord among brothers.
Two things show how serious this sin is: where division comes from, and what it cost to make God's people one.
Divisions among the children of God are not of God, but are of the flesh and the devil, and they please a scoffing world well. "One who sows discord among brothers" is one of the seven things God detests. He hates him (Prov. 6:19). No wonder, since Jesus died to make them one, and to bring them into harmony with God.
God's hatred of evil is the pattern for His people.
The Lord could hate as perfectly as He loved. He loved with perfection, and He hated with perfection... The Lord Jesus hated things because they stood against His God, and we have to have those features too... God expects His people to hate these things as well. We must first root them out of our own lives, and then make sure we do not allow them in others.
- Climax. The list of seven builds to this last item. Only here does it point to a person again — it ends with a man, not just a fault.
- Falsehood. God's hatred is not personal spite. The liar ties himself to the falsehood God hates, and shares its judgment.
- Method. He breathes out lies rather than shouting them. They spread through trusting friends, while the slandered person never hears a word.
- Motive. The sower of discord is not after money or pleasure. Setting people against each other is his business and his joy, and that course can only end in ruin.
- Cost. Jesus died to make His people one. Tearing them apart attacks what He died for. So His people must hate this evil, and root it out of themselves first.