Proverbs 18:6 (KJV)

Passage

A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 18:4 The words of a man’s mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook.

Proverbs 18:5 It is not good to accept the person of the wicked, to overthrow the righteous in judgment.

Proverbs 18:6 A fool’s lips enter into contention, and his mouth calleth for strokes.

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 talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "It is not good to accept the..." into verse 7's "A fool s mouth is his destruction...", so "fool" and "lips" 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 "lips" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.