Proverbs 18:7 (ASV)

Passage

A fool`s mouth is his destruction, And his lips are the snare of his soul.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 18:5 To respect the person of the wicked is not good, [Nor] to turn aside the righteous in judgment.

Proverbs 18:6 A fool`s lips enter into contention, And his mouth calleth for stripes.

Proverbs 18:7 A fool`s mouth is his destruction, And his lips are the snare of his soul.

Proverbs 18:8 The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts.

Proverbs 18:9 He also that is slack in his work Is brother to him that is a destroyer.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "fool", "mouth", "destruction", "lips", "snare", and "soul". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "fool" and "mouth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "A fool s lips enter into contention..." into verse 8's "The words of a whisperer are as...", so "fool" and "mouth" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "fool" and "mouth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.