Proverbs 17:4

Proverbs 17:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue.
• English Standard Version (ESV)An evildoer listens to wicked lips, and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.
• New King James Version (NKJV)An evildoer gives heed to false lips; A liar listens eagerly to a spiteful tongue.
• New Living Translation (NLT)Wrongdoers eagerly listen to gossip; liars pay close attention to slander.

Context of Proverbs 17:4

2A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son and will share the inheritance as one of the family. 3The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart. A wicked person listens to deceitful lips; a liar pays attention to a destructive tongue. 5Whoever mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished. 6Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.

Proverbs 17:4 word by word

מֵ֭רַע מַקְשִׁ֣יב עַל־שְׂפַת־אָ֑וֶן שֶׁ֥קֶר מֵ֝זִין עַל־לְשׁ֥וֹן הַוֹּֽת׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• A wicked doerרָעַעrâ‛a‛ · be evilH7489
• giveth heedקָשַׁבqâshab · to listenH7181
• to falseאָ֫וֶן'âven · evil: wickednessH205
• lipsשָׂפָהώâphâh ώepheth · lipsH8193
• a liarשֶׁ֫קֶרsheqer · deceptionH8267
• giveth earאָזַן'âzan · to listenH238
• to a naughtyהַוָּהhavvâh · desireH1942
• tongueלָשׁוֹןlâshôn lâshôn leshônâh · tongueH3956

Cross-references for Proverbs 17:4

• Proverbs 28:4Those who forsake instruction praise the wicked, but those who heed it resist them.
• 1 Samuel 22:17Then the king ordered the guards at his side: “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me.” But the king’s officials were unwilling to raise a hand to strike the priests of the Lord.
• 1 Kings 22:6So the king of Israel brought together the prophets—about four hundred men—and asked them, “Shall I go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?” “Go,” they answered, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.”
• Isaiah 30:10They say to the seers, “See no more visions!” and to the prophets, “Give us no more visions of what is right! Tell us pleasant things, prophesy illusions.
• Jeremiah 5:31The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?
• 2 Timothy 4:3For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
• 1 John 4:5They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them.
• Revelation 13:3One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was filled with wonder and followed the beast.

Commentaries on Proverbs 17:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4A wicked doer giveth heed - An evil heart is disposed and ever ready to receive evil; and liars delight in lies.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4The two clauses describe two phases of the mutual affinities of evil. The evil-doer delights in lies, the liar in bad words.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4Verse 4 Flatterers, especially false teachers, are welcome to those that live in sin.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4Lies (Proverbs 6:16–19; 14:5, 25; 25:18), gossip (11:13; 18:8), and slander (10:18) twist the truth to harm others.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. Wicked doers and speakers alike delight in calumny.Read the comment

Topics related to Proverbs 17:4

• Falsehood
• Speaking

In the dictionaries

• Fine
• Friend
• Glad
• Grief
• Price
• Rule
• Strike
• Lie; Lying
• Lip
• Proverb

Commentaries on Proverbs 17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings