Proverbs 18:7 (YLT)

Passage

The mouth of a fool <FI>is<Fi> ruin to him, And his lips <FI>are<Fi> the snare of his soul.

Nearby Context

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.

Proverbs 18:7 The mouth of a fool <FI>is<Fi> ruin to him, And his lips <FI>are<Fi> the snare of his soul.

Proverbs 18:8 The words of a tale-bearer <FI>are<Fi> as self-inflicted wounds, And they have gone down <FI>to<Fi> the inner parts of the heart.

Proverbs 18:9 He also that is remiss in his work, A brother he <FI>is<Fi> to a destroyer.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "The lips of a fool enter into..." into verse 8's "The words of a tale-bearer FI are...", so "mouth" and "fool" 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 "mouth" and "fool" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.