18:1 He who is selfish The Hebrew word used here refers to separation (compare Gen 13:11). Here, it describes those who willfully alienate themselves from society.

18:2 in expressing his heart The fool has no regard for the wisdom of others (Prov 15:5).

The Fool in Proverbs

18:4 Deep waters Proverbs 20:5 uses a similar expression to indicate that a person’s mind (or heart) is hard for another to understand. This could mean that this proverb indicates that the place words come from—a person’s character—is also difficult to understand. As a whole, this proverb seems to indicate that wisdom is an ongoing, life-giving source.

18:5 Being partial to faces of evil is not good Yahweh considers the preferential treatment of the wicked and the unjust treatment of the righteous to be an abomination—a horrible thing that goes against his purposes (17:15).

18:6 his mouth calls out for a flogging The fool gets into trouble through recklessness (14:16) and unrestrained speech (29:11).

18:8 are like delicious morsels This proverb—repeated verbatim in 26:22—does not encourage gossip. Instead, it reflects reality: People greedily devour gossip, always looking for more.

18:9 he is brother to a master of destruction Laziness is a destructive attitude. The sluggard ends up in poverty (Prov 6:9–11; 10:4); rather than maintain a field, the sluggard ruins it (24:30–34).

18:10 A tower of strength Both a watchtower (2 Kgs 9:17) and a place of refuge (Judg 9:51). The Psalms often compare God to a tower of refuge (Pss 18:2; 61:3; see note on Prov 18:1–3).

18:11 The wealth of the rich The righteous trust in the name of Yahweh for protection, but here the rich trust in wealth. However, this security is a delusion or folly that cannot provide the protection of the name of Yahweh (11:28).

18:13 folly itself belongs to him as well as shame A person who gives answers without listening is like the fool who only seeks to express his or her opinion (v. 2).

18:16 The gift of a person The Hebrw word used here, mattan, differs from the term for a bribe (shochad; 17:8). Here, the gift is meant more innocently to appease or curry favor (19:6; 21:14).

18:18 The lot will put an end to disputes When used to determine responsibility, casting lots ended arguments (Jonah 1:7; see note on Prov 16:33).

Old Testament Theology and Divination

18:19 A brother who is offended Illustrates the divisive nature of arguments. Like a heavily fortified city, an offended person is difficult to reach.

18:20 it will satisfy The Hebrew text here could be understood as indicating a positive or negative result, meaning that speech can affect a person’s life for good or bad.

18:21 will eat of her fruit It is unclear whether this is positive or negative. The ambiguity is likely intentional and probably meant to indicate the need to use caution both when speaking and listening.

18:22 He who finds a wife Proverbs makes both positive and negative statements about wives: It is better to live alone than with a quarrelsome wife (19:13; 21:9; 25:24), but a prudent wife is a gift from Yahweh (19:14)—she is the glory of her husband (12:4).

18:24 A man of many friends One close friend is more valuable than many friends. A close friend will stick by someone who faces adversity (17:17).