Proverbs 26:28

Cited in 3 topics on this site.

Translations sourced from the public-domain WEB, KJV, and ASV. See all sources.

“A lying tongue hates those it hurts; and a flattering mouth works ruin.”

— WEB

“A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin.”

— KJV

“A lying tongue hateth those whom it hath wounded; And a flattering mouth worketh ruin.”

— ASV

Cross-references

Related verses via the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

John 8:44-49 "You are of your father, the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and doesn’t stand…"
Luke 20:20-21 "They watched him, and sent out spies, who pretended to be righteous, that they might trap him in something he said, so as to deliver him …"
Proverbs 7:21-23 "With persuasive words, she led him astray. With the flattering of her lips, she seduced him."
Proverbs 6:24 "to keep you from the immoral woman, from the flattery of the wayward wife’s tongue."
Proverbs 7:5 "that they may keep you from the strange woman, from the foreigner who flatters with her words."
John 10:32-33 "Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me?”"
Proverbs 29:5 "A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet."
John 8:40 "But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham didn’t do this."

Commentary

There are two sorts of lies equally detestable: - 1. A slandering lie, which avowedly hates those it is spoken of: A lying tongue hates those that are afflicted by it; it afflicts them by calumnies and reproaches because it hates them, and can thus smite them secretly where they are without defence; and it hates them because it has afflicted them and made them its enemies. The mischief of this is open and obvious; it afflicts, it hates, and owns it, and every body sees it. 2. A flattering lie, which secretly works the ruin of those it is spoken to. In the former the mischief is plain, and men guard against it as well as they can, but in this it is little suspected, and men betray themselves by being credulous of their own praises and the compliments that are passed upon them. A wise man therefore will be more afraid of a flatterer that kisses and kills than of a slanderer that proclaims war.

— Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary (public domain)

Men hate those they injure. A lying tongue--"lips" for the persons (compare Pro 4:24; Psa 12:3). Next: Proverbs Chapter 27

— Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary (public domain)

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