Proverbs 18:8 (WEB)

Passage

The words of a gossip are like dainty morsels: they go down into a person’s innermost parts.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 18:6 A fool’s lips come into strife, and his mouth invites beatings.

Proverbs 18:7 A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are a snare to his soul.

Proverbs 18:8 The words of a gossip are like dainty morsels: they go down into a person’s innermost parts.

Proverbs 18:9 One who is slack in his work is brother to him who is a master of destruction.

Proverbs 18:10 Yahweh’s name is a strong tower: the righteous run to him, and are safe.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "words", "gossip", "like", "dainty", "morsels", "down", "person", and "innermost". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "words" and "gossip", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "A fool s mouth is his destruction..." into verse 9's "One who is slack in his work...", so "words" and "gossip" 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 "gossip" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.