Proverbs 6:14

Pro 6:14 Frowardness [is] in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.

Ver. 14. Frowardness is in his heart.] What marvel then though he solecise with his hand, {a} though he twinkle with his eye, and tinkle with his feet, &c.? "When he speaketh fair, believe him not, for there are seven abominations in his heart." {Pro 26:25} Even those seven next mentioned here, {Pro 6:16-19} as Aben Ezra conceiveth upon that text.

He deviseth mischief continually.] Heb., At all times. Pliny speaks of the scorpion, that there is not one minute wherein it doth not put forth the sting. The soul of a wicked man is "in a sling," {1Sa 25:29} restless, and violently tossed about by Satan, who acts and agitates him. {Eph 2:2 Mic 2:1 Hos 7:6}

He soweth discord.] And so shows himself a true breathing devil, a disciple of Machiavel, whose maxim was, divide et impera, make division and get dominion. In the year 1579, Allen at Rhemes instructed his emissary seducers, sent over into England, to make way for their great project of perdition in 1588, by dividing the people under the terms of Protestant and Puritan, and provoking them thereby to real and mutual both hate and contempt. {b} And what labouring there is now by the Jesuit party to heighten our unhappy differences, that they may make themselves masters of all, who seeth not? Herein they deal, - saith Gregory, of the like factors for the devil in his time, - as the master of the pit, who oft sets two cocks to fight together to the death of both, that after mutual conquest, he may sup with both their carcases. The Jews, before they were banished out of this kingdom, threw bags of poison into the wells and fountains that the people were to drink of, and thereby endeavoured to poison them all: so do our seedsmen of sedition.

{a} Oυτος τη χειρι σολοικιζει.

{b} Archbishop Abbot’s answer to Dr HilI’s Three Reasons.

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.

Frowardness--as in Pro 2:14.

deviseth--literally, "constructs, as an artisan."

mischief--evil to others.

discord--especially litigation. Cunning is the talent of the weak and lazy.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 14. He deviseth mischief] He plots schemes and plans to bring it to pass.

He soweth discord.] Between men and their wives, by seducing the latter from their fidelity. See the preceding quotation.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

14. soweth) Vulg. seminat. So R.V. with “Heb. letteth loose”, in marg. Lit. sendeth or casteth forth, as was done in the hand sowing of those days and countries. Comp. ὡς ἄνθρωπος βάλῃ τὸν σπόρον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, Mar_4:26. The idea of sowing is not contained, however, in the Heb. word, and the phrase “sowing strife” may merely be chosen as the best Eng. equivalent for the Heb. phrase. Comp. Pro_6:19 below, and Pro_16:28.

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.

Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly,.... Unthought of and unexpected: he that deviseth mischief to others secretly shall have no warning of his own ruin, nor time and means of preventing it; the destruction of antichrist will be sudden, and of all wicked men at the coming of Christ, Th1 5:3;

suddenly shall he be broken without remedy; or, "and there shall be no healing" (b): his bones will be broken to pieces, and there will be no cure for him; or he shall be like an earthen vessel, which, when broke, cannot be put together again. The ruin of wicked men is sudden, inevitable, and irreparable; so antichrist will "come to his end, and none shall help him", Dan 11:45.

(b) "et non sanitas", Pagninus, Montanus; "curatio", Junius & Tremellius; "medicina", Piscator, Cocceius.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Frowardness; perverse or wicked thoughts and desires.

He soweth discord; either out of malice against others, or out of a base design of improving it to his own advantage.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

14. Frowardness — Perversions.

Soweth — Casteth forth, or excites. Such men are perpetually at work contriving mischief, exciting suspicious, stirring up hatred, strife, brawls, lawsuits, discords in families, and revolutions in governments.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

From these external features the teacher passes to the heart the seat of all this mischief and deceit. In this respect we observe a striking correspondence with the method adopted by our Saviour in his leaching, who referred everything to the heart, as the true seat of all that was good or bad in man. Frowardness is in his heart (Hebrew, tah"pukoth b"libbo); i.e. his heart is full of perverse imaginations, it is there he nourishes his jealousy, his hatred, his malice, his ill will. It is there, too, he deviseth mischief continually. "Devising mischief" carries us one step further back in the history of evil. It is this feature, this deliberate premeditation to plot mischief and to devise means to carry it into execution, which makes the character of the man simply diabolical. He makes his heart as it were the workshop wherein he fabricates and prepares his villainy. The Hebrew kharash (to which the participle khoresh belongs) is equivalent to the Vulgate machinari, and the LXX tekainomai , "to fabricate, devise, plot." (See Pro_3:29 and ver. 18; and cf. Psa_36:4, "He deviseth mischief upon his bed. The LXX combines the two statements in one proposition: "A perverse heart deviseth evil at all times." Similarly the Vulgate, which, however, joins "continually" (Hebrew, b"koleth; Vulgate, omni tempore) to the second hemistich, thus: "And at all times he sows discord (et omni tempore jurgia seminat)." He soweth discord (Hebrew, mid"-yanim (Keri) y"shalleakh); literally, he sends forth (i.e. excites) strife; or, as the margin, he casteth forth strife. The Keri reading mid"yanim, for the Khetib m"danim, is probably, as Hitzig suggests, derived from Gen_37:36. The phrase occurs again as shallakh m"danim in ver. 19, and as shillakh madon Pro_16:28. (cf. Pro_10:12) This is the culminating point in the character of the wicked man. He takes delight in breaking up friendship and in destroying concord among brethren (see ver. 19), and thus destroys one of the most essential elements for promoting individual happiness and the welfare of the community at large. This idea of the community is introduced into the LXX, which reads, "Such a one brings disturbance to the city (o tosoutov taracasthsi polei )." The motive cause may be either malice or self-interest.

Sowing discord.

I THE SOWER. He may be of various characters.

1. A malignant person. Such a one delights in the mischief he makes. He flings the firebrand with fiendish glee because he loves to witness the conflagration. He is a true child of Satan, one to break the peace of Eden, one to set Cain to murder his brother.

2. A person greedy of power. It is easier to make trouble than to mend it. Nothing is more simple than to scatter seeds of quarrels. A single pebble flung into the middle of a mountain tam will shatter the fair mirror of crag and sky, and spread disturbing wavelets to every shore. There is a sense of power, of producing a great effect, in mischief making.

3. A selfish person. If we always claim our does and exact our pound of flesh, we must be perpetually embroiled in quarrels. Disregard to the rights of others, which is only too common with the selfish, will lead one individual to plunge a whole society into confusion.

4. A heedless person. It is so easy to sow discord that we may do the mischievous thing before we are aware of our folly. It needs care and watchfulness to avoid this disastrous conduct.

II THE SEED.

1. A misrepresentation. Thomas Carlyle pointed out how often rational quarrels and wars spring from "misunderstandings." If we knew each other better we should be more friendly. Our acquaintances tend to become our friends. But a misrepresentation is the parent of a misunderstanding, and as such the seed of discord.

2. A hot word. If we approached a troublesome question calmly and patiently we might see a way of avoiding all quarrelling over it. But when the anger is roused everything appears in its worst light; there is no inclination to smooth ever a difficulty; on the contrary, opposition is magnified.

3. An unkind word, This may be spoken deliberately. The more cool the speaker, the more cutting his speech.

III THE SOIL. The discord is sown "among brethren.

1. A possible soil. One would say that here no quarrels can grow. But, alas! they who should love most can hate with bitterest hatred, or, if no deep dislike be engendered, they may still quarrel most fiercely. The first quarrel was between brethren Cain and Abel. Esau and Jacob, the two Hebrews whom Moses rebuked in Egypt, the nations of Israel and Judah, were all brethren in discord.

2. A fruitful soil. Surely it would be thought discord among brethren cannot last and spread. But experience proves the contrary. Family feuds are deep, bitter, enduring. Church quarrels are most rancorous. Civil war is sanguinary.

IV THE HARVEST. This discord is no slight thing like the breeze that disturbs the lake for one moment and speedily leaves it to resume its normal placidity.

1. It is painful. Pride may conceal the wound, but the sore is not slight. No misery is greater than that of fancily quarrels.

2. It is injurious. It raises evil passions, hinders harmonious action, wastes resources in internecine strife. All men are of one blood, therefore all war is discord, among brethren; and who shall measure its frightful harvest of woe?

3. It is unchristian. The gospel proclaims and enforces brotherhood. It helps us to realize the dream of the psalmist, "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!". (Psa_133:1) Christ blessed the peacemaker. (Mat_5:9)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He plots evil

"He plans evil" or "He prepares to do evil deeds"

he always stirs up discord

"he always causes discord" or "he is constantly looking for conflict and escalating it"

Therefore

"For that reason"

his disaster will overtake him

This implies that the disaster is chasing him like a person or an animal, and that it will catch him soon. AT: "his disaster will catch him" (See: Personification)

his disaster

This refers to the disaster that will happen to him, but also the disaster that he himself caused.

in an instant; in a moment

Both mean the same thing, and one or both of them can be replaced by "suddenly" or "very quickly."

translationWords

evil

deceive

heart

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

he incites quarrels between man and his Creator.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.