A perverse man stirs up strife. A whisperer separates close friends.
Parallel Translations
-
A perverse man stirs up strife. A whisperer separates close friends.
-
A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.
-
A froward man soweth strife; and a whisperer separateth familiar friends.
Cross-references (14)
Passages linked to Proverbs 16:28 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Proverbs 17:9 He who covers an offense promotes love; but he who repeats a matter separates best friends.
- Proverbs 15:18 A wrathful man stirs up contention, but one who is slow to anger appeases strife.
- Proverbs 18:8 The words of a gossip are like dainty morsels: they go down into a person’s innermost parts.
- Romans 1:29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil habits, secret slanderers,
- James 3:14-16 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and don’t lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed.
- Proverbs 6:14 in whose heart is perverseness, who devises evil continually, who always sows discord.
- Genesis 3:1-13 Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden, but not the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden. God has said, ‘You shall not eat of it. You shall not touch it, lest you die.’ ” The serpent said to the woman, “You won’t really die, for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took some of its fruit, and ate. Then she gave some to her husband with her, and he ate it, too. Their eyes were opened, and they both knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together, and made coverings for themselves. They heard Yahweh God’s voice walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God among the trees of the garden. Yahweh God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” The man said, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; so I hid myself.” God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Yahweh God said to the woman, “What have you done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
- Proverbs 6:19 a false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.
- 1 Timothy 6:3-5 If anyone teaches a different doctrine, and doesn’t consent to sound words, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, he is conceited, knowing nothing, but obsessed with arguments, disputes, and word battles, from which come envy, strife, insulting, evil suspicions, constant friction of people of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. Withdraw yourself from such.
- 1 Samuel 24:9 David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to men’s words, saying, ‘Behold, David seeks to harm you?’
- Proverbs 26:20-22 For lack of wood a fire goes out. Without gossip, a quarrel dies down. As coals are to hot embers, and wood to fire, so is a contentious man to kindling strife. The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels, they go down into the innermost parts.
- Proverbs 30:33 For as the churning of milk produces butter, and the wringing of the nose produces blood; so the forcing of wrath produces strife.”
- 2 Corinthians 12:20 For I am afraid that by any means, when I come, I might find you not the way I want to, and that I might be found by you as you don’t desire, that by any means there would be strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, whisperings, proud thoughts, or riots,
- Proverbs 29:22 An angry man stirs up strife, and a wrathful man abounds in sin.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (10 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
Private notes
Saved on this device only — never synced or sent anywhere.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Pro 16:28 A froward man soweth strife: and a…
Pro 16:28 A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.
Ver. 28. A froward man soweth strife.] The Belialist before mentioned, {Pro 16:27} as he digs, so he sows; but as ill seed as may be, that which comes not up but with a curse, as cud-weed, {a} and devil’s bit. He is a sedulous seedsman of sedition; this bad seed he sows in every furrow where he can find footing.
Read full note →
And a whisperer separateth even very friends.] A pestilent tale bearer that carries tales, and so sows strife. Such were Doeg and other abjects that tare David’s name, "and ceased not," {Psa 35:15} tossing it with their carrion mouths as dogs, buzzing into Saul’s ears ever and anon that which might set him agog against him. Such also were those malicious make baits the Pharisees, who, when they thought the disciples had offended, spake not to them, but to their Master, "Why do thy disciples that which is not lawful?" As when they thought Christ offended, they spake not to him, but to his disciples. Thus these whisperers went about to "separate very friends," to make a breach in the family of Christ, by setting off the one from the other. "The words of such whisperers are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly." {Pro 18:8} They are like the wind that creeps in by the chinks and crevices in a wall, or the cracks in a window, that commonly prove more dangerous than a storm that meets a man in the face upon the champion [the plain].
{a} The common name for the genus Gnaphalium of composite plants, having chaffy scales surrounding the flower heads; originally proper to G. sylvaticum; extended to other plants, of allied genera, or similar appearance.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain A froward man; or, perverse man, who perverteth his…
A froward man; or, perverse man, who perverteth his words and ways; who pleaseth not God, and is contrary to men, as was said of the Jews, 1Th 2:15.
Soweth strife, by whispering such things as may provoke one against another.
Read full note →
A whisperer, who secretly carries tales from one to another, publishing those evil words and actions which they should conceal, and detracting from their good actions, and perverting such as are innocent with their false constructions.
Chief friends, Heb. a chief friend; the singular number put for the plural, as is frequent in the Hebrew text.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain A violent man enticeth his neighbour,.... As false teachers…
A violent man enticeth his neighbour,.... As false teachers do, who are grievous wolves, not sparing the flock, and who by good words and fair speeches deceive the heart of the simple; and as the man of sin, that has shed the blood of the saints, and been drunk with the same, deceives with his miracles and sorceries them that dwell on the earth;
and leadeth him into the way that is not good; yea, into one that is very bad; so far are false teachers from leading their neighbours into the good old way of truth and righteousness, that they lead them into pernicious ways, by whom the way; of truth is spoken evil of; they lead them into a ditch, and into destruction hereafter; as does the man of sin and violence his followers.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Words. Protestants, "a whisperer separateth chief friends."
Words. Protestants, "a whisperer separateth chief friends."
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain (Compare Pro 6:14; Pro 10:31).
(Compare Pro 6:14; Pro 10:31).
whisperer--prater, talebearer (Pro 18:8; Pro 26:20).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 28. A froward man — A perverter.
28. A froward man — A perverter.
A whisperer — Murmurer; a man who is always complaining. It also means a garrulous man, a great talker, tattler, or talebearer. Comp. Pro_6:14; Pro_6:19; Pro_15:18; Pro_17:9; Pro_18:8; Pro_26:20-22; Pro_29:22.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 28. soweth] Rather, scattereth abroad, R.V. διαπέμπεται κακὰ, LXX.…
28. soweth] Rather, scattereth abroad, R.V. διαπέμπεται κακὰ, LXX. Comp. Pro_6:14.
separateth chief friends] “Or, alienateih his friend,” R.V. marg. See Pro_19:7.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (28) A froward man.—Who distorts the truth.
(28) A froward man.—Who distorts the truth.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain A froward man soweth strife. (Pro_6:14, Pro_6:19) The verb…
A froward man soweth strife. (Pro_6:14, Pro_6:19) The verb means, literally, "sends forth," which may signify "scatters as seed" or "hurls as a missile weapon." The character intended is the perverse man, who distorts the truth, gives a wrong impression, attributes evil motives; such a one occasions quarrels and heartburnings. And a whisperer separateth chief friends. (Pro_17:9) Nirgan is either "a chatterer," or "a whisperer," "calumniator." In Pro_18:8 and Pro_26:20:22 it is translated "tale bearer." "Be not called a whisperer (qiyurov )," says the Son of Sirach (Ecc_5:14), speaking of secret slander. "Slanderers," says an old apothegm, "are Satan"s bellows to blow up contension." Septuagint, "A perverse man sendeth abroad evils, and kindleth a torch of deceit for the wicked, and separateth friends." The alternative rendering of the second clause, "estrangeth a leader," i.e. alienates one leader from another, or from his army, is not confirmed by the authority of the versions or the best commentators.
See homily on Pro_17:9 C.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain v. 28. A froward man, one who makes use…
v. 28. A froward man, one who makes use of malice, soweth strife, for his conduct is bound to create enmity; and a whisperer, a backbiter, separateth chief friends, causing close friends to be divided, for such is the effect of slander skillfully disseminated.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.