Proverbs 18:4 (YLT)

Passage

Deep waters <FI>are<Fi> the words of a man's mouth, The fountain of wisdom <FI>is<Fi> a flowing brook.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 18:2 A fool delighteth not in understanding, But--in uncovering his heart.

Proverbs 18:3 With the coming of the wicked come also hath contempt, And with shame--reproach.

Proverbs 18:4 Deep waters <FI>are<Fi> the words of a man's mouth, The fountain of wisdom <FI>is<Fi> a flowing brook.

Proverbs 18:5 Acceptance of the face of the wicked <FI>is<Fi> not good, To turn aside the righteous in judgment.

Proverbs 18:6 The lips of a fool enter into strife, And his mouth for stripes calleth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "deep", "waters", "words", "man's", "mouth", "fountain", "wisdom", and "flowing". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "deep" and "waters", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "With the coming of the wicked come..." into verse 5's "Acceptance of the face of the wicked...", so "deep" and "waters" 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 "deep" and "waters" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.