A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Proverbs 26:28
What does Proverbs 26:28 mean?
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Proverbs 26:28
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What's easy to miss here is the reason a liar hates their victim: it’s not just a random emotion, but a twisted self-preservation. The liar hates the person they've harmed because seeing them is a constant, uncomfortable reminder of their own wrongdoing and the damage they’ve caused. This makes the "flattering mouth" even more insidious, as it leads to ruin by masking the same kind of hidden malice.
A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This proverb appears within a collection of wisdom sayings that often contrast foolishness with wisdom and wickedness with righteousness. It directly follows verses that describe the futility of answering a fool according to his folly and the danger of sending a message by a fool. Here, the focus shifts to the destructive nature of deceitful speech, both through outright lies and deceptive flattery, highlighting the harm these cause to others and often to the speaker himself.
Ever notice how the person who lies often seems to resent the person they've wronged? This proverb reveals a twisted psychology at play.
Proverbs 26:28 points out a startling truth: a lying tongue actually hates those it has afflicted. This isn't just about external damage; it's about the liar's internal state.
The Cycle of Guilt
When someone lies, especially to harm another, they create an enemy. But the hatred isn't just projected outward. It's also a deep-seated self-hatred. The victim serves as a constant reminder of the liar's own wickedness and deceit. To cope, the liar pushes the blame and the hatred onto the very person they've harmed. It's a twisted way of avoiding confronting their own sin.
Think of it like this: instead of facing the mirror of their actions, they glare at the person who reflects their ugliness back at them.
We often think of flattery as harmless, maybe even a nice compliment. But the Bible warns of a far more sinister outcome.
The second part of Proverbs 26:28 declares, 'and a flattering mouth works ruin.' This isn't just about empty praise; it's about a manipulative force that leads to destruction.
The Path to Ruin
A flattering mouth doesn't build up; it drives people toward disaster. How? By:
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The ruin can be personal, relational, or spiritual – a devastating consequence of words designed to please rather than to guide.
Understand the original words
lashon sheqer · Hebrew Noun phrase
An act of communication that purposefully deviates from the truth. In biblical wisdom literature, it is viewed as a source of discord, destruction, and moral decay, serving as a primary tool of the wicked.
peh machaliq · Hebrew Noun phrase
Speech characterized by excessive, insincere praise often used to manipulate or gain personal advantage. It is depicted in Scripture as a form of moral corruption that blinds the victim and ensnares the speaker.
madcheh · Hebrew Noun
The state of being destroyed, brought to nothing, or ruined. In Proverbs, it refers to the inevitable catastrophic consequence that follows sinful behavior and rejection of God's wisdom.
This Psalm directly echoes the theme of deceptive speech, contrasting a lying tongue with honest communication and showing how falsehood causes harm.
Romans 8:7The commentary points out that the 'carnal mind' hates God because it's reminded of its own wrongdoing; this passage speaks to that inherent aversion to what exposes our sin, much like a liar hates those they've harmed.
James 3:5-6James describes the tongue as a 'world of iniquity' and a 'fire' that can corrupt the whole person, powerfully illustrating how destructive speech, whether lying or flattering, leads to ruin.
Matthew 23:13-15Jesus denounces the religious leaders for their hypocrisy and deceptive words, calling them 'blind guides' and showing how their flattery and lies lead others astray and bring ruin.
pooleProverbs 26:28: "A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin."
Hateth those that are afflicted by it, because by his calumnies he hath made them his enemies. A flattering mouth; which, though it be more smooth and plausible than a slandering mouth, yet is in truth no less pernicious, betraying others either to sin, or to danger and mischief.
gillProverbs 26:28: "A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin."
A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it,.... That is, a man of a lying tongue, that is given to lying, hates those that are hurt and crushed by his lies; the reason why he hurts them with his lies is because he hates them; and, having hurt them, he hates them, being made his enemies, and from whom he may expect and be in fear of revenge: moreover, he hates those that are tro…
What's easy to miss here is the reason a liar hates their victim: it’s not just a random emotion, but a twisted self-preservation. The liar hates the person they've harmed because seeing them is a constant, uncomfortable reminder of their own wrongdoing and the damage they’ve caused. This makes the "flattering mouth" even more insidious, as it leads to ruin by masking the same kind of hidden malice.
This proverb appears within a collection of wisdom sayings that often contrast foolishness with wisdom and wickedness with righteousness. It directly follows verses that describe the futility of answering a fool according to his folly and the danger of sending a message by a fool. Here, the focus shifts to the destructive nature of deceitful speech, both through outright lies and deceptive flattery, highlighting the harm these cause to others and often to the speaker himself.
This proverb appears within a collection of wisdom sayings that often contrast foolishness with wisdom and wickedness with righteousness. It directly follows verses that describe the futility of answering a fool according to his folly and the danger of sending a message by a fool. Here, the focus shifts to the destructive nature of deceitful speech, both through outright lies and deceptive flattery, highlighting the harm these cause to others and often to the speaker himself.
"A lying tongue hates its victims, and a flattering mouth works ruin." — What's easy to miss here is the reason a liar hates their victim: it’s not just a random emotion, but a twisted self-preservation. The liar hates the person they've harmed because seeing them is a…
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Last reviewed October 2026