Proverbs 16:28 (KJV)

Passage

A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 16:26 He that laboureth laboureth for himself; for his mouth craveth it of him.

Proverbs 16:27 An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.

Proverbs 16:28 A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.

Proverbs 16:29 A violent man enticeth his neighbour, and leadeth him into the way that is not good.

Proverbs 16:30 He shutteth his eyes to devise froward things: moving his lips he bringeth evil to pass.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "froward", "soweth", "strife", "whisperer", "separateth", "chief", and "friends". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "froward" and "soweth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 27's "An ungodly man diggeth up evil and..." into verse 29's "A violent man enticeth his neighbour and...", so "froward" and "soweth" 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 "froward" and "soweth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.