Proverbs 18:8 (DRB)

Passage

The words of the double tongued are as if they were harmless: and they reach even to the inner parts of the bowels. Fear casteth down the slothful: and the souls of the effeminate shall be hungry.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 18:6 The lips of a fool intermeddle with strife: and his mouth provoketh quarrels.

Proverbs 18:7 The mouth of a fool is his destruction: and his lips are the ruin of his soul.

Proverbs 18:8 The words of the double tongued are as if they were harmless: and they reach even to the inner parts of the bowels. Fear casteth down the slothful: and the souls of the effeminate shall be hungry.

Proverbs 18:9 He that is loose and slack in his work, is the brother of him that wasteth his own works.

Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the just runneth to it, and shall be exalted.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "words", "double", "tongued", "harmless", "reach", "even", "inner", and "parts". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "words" and "double", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "The mouth of a fool is his..." into verse 9's "He that is loose and slack in...", so "words" and "double" 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 "words" and "double" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.