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Contemporary English Version

Proverbs 18:7

Saying foolish things is like setting a trap to destroy yourself.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Fool;   Speaking;   Thompson Chain Reference - Error;   Sin;   Sin-Saviour;   Transgression;   The Topic Concordance - Contention;   Destruction;   Foolishness;   Snares;   Speech/communication;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Fools;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Tongue;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Soul;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Pardon;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Evil-Speaking;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Proverbs, Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Fool;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Fool;   Mouth;   Snare;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Simeon B. Ḥalafta;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
A fool’s mouth is his devastation,and his lips are a trap for his life.
Hebrew Names Version
A fool's mouth is his destruction, And his lips are a snare to his soul.
King James Version
A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.
English Standard Version
A fool's mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.
New American Standard Bible
A fool's mouth is his ruin, And his lips are the snare of his soul.
New Century Version
The words of fools will ruin them; their own words will trap them.
Amplified Bible
A fool's mouth is his ruin, And his lips are the snare of his soul.
World English Bible
A fool's mouth is his destruction, And his lips are a snare to his soul.
Geneva Bible (1587)
A fooles mouth is his owne destruction, and his lips are a snare for his soule.
Legacy Standard Bible
A fool's mouth is his ruin,And his lips are the snare of his soul.
Berean Standard Bible
A fool's mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.
Complete Jewish Bible
A fool's mouth is his ruin; his words are a trap for him.
Darby Translation
A fool's mouth is destruction to him, and his lips are a snare to his soul.
Easy-to-Read Version
Fools hurt themselves when they speak. Their own words trap them.
George Lamsa Translation
A fools mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.
Good News Translation
When a fool speaks, he is ruining himself; he gets caught in the trap of his own words.
Lexham English Bible
The mouth of a fool is ruin to him, and his lips are a snare to his soul.
Literal Translation
A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are a snare of his soul.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
A fooles mouth is his owne destruccion, and his lippes are ye snare for his owne soule.
American Standard Version
A fool's mouth is his destruction, And his lips are the snare of his soul.
Bible in Basic English
The mouth of a foolish man is his destruction, and his lips are a net for his soul.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
A fool's mouth is his ruin, and his lips are the snare of his soul.
King James Version (1611)
A fooles mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soule.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
A fooles mouth is his owne destruction, and his lippes are the snare for his owne soule.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
A fool’s mouth is ruin to him, and his lips are a snare to his soul.
English Revised Version
A fool's mouth is his destruction, and his lips are the snare of his soul.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
The mouth of a fool is defoulyng of hym; and hise lippis ben the fallynge of his soule.
Update Bible Version
A fool's mouth is his destruction, And his lips are the snare of his soul.
Webster's Bible Translation
A fool's mouth [is] his destruction, and his lips [are] the snare of his soul.
New English Translation
The mouth of a fool is his ruin, and his lips are a snare for his life.
New King James Version
A fool's mouth is his destruction, And his lips are the snare of his soul.
New Living Translation
The mouths of fools are their ruin; they trap themselves with their lips.
New Life Bible
The mouth of a fool is what destroys him, and his lips are a trap to his soul.
New Revised Standard
The mouths of fools are their ruin, and their lips a snare to themselves.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The mouth of a dullard, is his ruin, and, his lips, are a snare to his soul.
Douay-Rheims Bible
The mouth of a fool is his destruction: and his lips are the ruin of his soul.
Revised Standard Version
A fool's mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to himself.
Young's Literal Translation
The mouth of a fool [is] ruin to him, And his lips [are] the snare of his soul.
THE MESSAGE
Fools are undone by their big mouths; their souls are crushed by their words.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
A fool's mouth is his ruin, And his lips are the snare of his soul.

Contextual Overview

6 Foolish talk will get you into a lot of trouble. 7 Saying foolish things is like setting a trap to destroy yourself.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

his destruction: Proverbs 10:8, Proverbs 10:14, Proverbs 12:13, Proverbs 13:3, Ecclesiastes 10:11-14

his lips: Proverbs 6:2, Judges 11:35, 1 Samuel 14:24-46, Mark 6:23-28, Acts 23:14-22

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 3:33 - as a fool dieth 1 Kings 2:23 - spoken 1 Kings 12:10 - My little finger 2 Chronicles 10:10 - My little finger Psalms 59:12 - For the Psalms 64:8 - tongue Psalms 140:9 - let the mischief Proverbs 10:10 - but Proverbs 17:20 - and he Proverbs 20:25 - a snare

Cross-References

Genesis 18:15
Sarah was so frightened that she lied and said, "I didn't laugh." "Yes, you did!" he answered.
Genesis 18:16
When the three men got ready to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked part of the way with them.
Genesis 19:3
But Lot kept insisting, until they finally agreed and went home with him. He baked some bread, cooked a meal, and they ate.
Amos 6:4
You rich people lounge around on beds with ivory posts, while dining on the meat of your lambs and calves.
Malachi 1:14
Instead of offering the acceptable animals you have promised, you bring me those that are unhealthy. I will punish you for this, because I am the great King, the Lord All-Powerful, and I am worshiped by nations everywhere.
Matthew 22:4
He sent other servants to say to the guests, "The banquet is ready! My cattle and prize calves have all been prepared. Everything is ready. Come to the banquet!"
Luke 15:23
Get the best calf and prepare it, so we can eat and celebrate.
Luke 15:27
The servant answered, "Your brother has come home safe and sound, and your father ordered us to kill the best calf."
Luke 15:30
This other son of yours wasted your money on prostitutes. And now that he has come home, you ordered the best calf to be killed for a feast."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

A fool's mouth [is] his destruction,.... The cause of it; for his contentions, and quarrels, and evil speaking, lawsuits are commenced against him, which bring ruin upon himself and his family now; as well as for his idle and wicked words he will be condemned hereafter, Matthew 12:35; there is a world of iniquity in the mouth and tongue of a wicked man, which bring destruction upon himself and others, James 3:6;

and his lips [are] the snare of his soul; from speaking in his own defence, he says things which should not be said, and by which he is entangled yet more and more; he is caught by his own words and condemned by them; or his loquacity, in which he delights, is a snare unto him to say things which neither become him, nor are for his advantage, but the contrary; see Proverbs 12:13.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The first verse speaks of the immediate, the others of the remote, results of the “fool’s” temper. First, “contention,” then “strokes” or blows, then “destruction,” and last, “wounds.”

Proverbs 18:8

Wounds - The word so rendered occurs here and in Proverbs 26:22 only. Others render it “dainties,” and take the verse to describe the avidity with which people swallow in tales of scandal. They find their way to the innermost recesses of man’s nature.


 
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