Proverbs 6:18
a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil,
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Proverbs 6:18
a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil,
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
What's striking here is how the "heart that devises" isn't just passively having bad thoughts, but actively manufacturing them, like a craftsman making evil plans. Then, those feet don't just wander into trouble; they race towards it, eager to carry out the heart's wicked designs without hesitation.
This passage is part of a larger list of seven things the Lord hates, introduced by the image of a "sowing discord among brethren" and culminating in the description of a person with a scheming heart and eager feet for evil. These verses build on warnings against sloth and gluttony, moving to deliberate, active sinfulness that harms others. The text is leading into a direct warning against adultery, using this description of a wicked heart and feet as a prelude to illustrating the swiftness and destructiveness of that particular sin.
This verse paints a vivid picture of the heart as an active workshop. It's not just a passive recipient of thoughts, but a place where malice is actively crafted.
The Bible often uses the "heart" to represent the deepest core of a person – their thoughts, intentions, and will. In Proverbs 6:18, the heart "devises wicked plans." This isn't about accidental wrongdoing; it's about the deliberate, internal construction of evil.
A Devil's Workshop
The original language suggests "thoughts of iniquity" or "thoughts of wickedness." This implies a conscious, ongoing process of fabricating evil schemes. The heart becomes a place where sinful ideas are not only entertained but are meticulously designed and prepared. It’s a constant, internal manufacturing of malice.
Open Secrets
Even though these plans are devised in the hidden recesses of the heart, the text reminds us that God sees them clearly. Nothing is hidden from Him; the deepest, most wicked intentions are laid bare before His gaze.
Once the heart has done its wicked work, the verse shows the immediate consequence: feet that are quick to act on those evil plans.
The second part of Proverbs 6:18, "feet that make haste to run to evil," describes the eager and immediate execution of the wicked plans devised in the heart. It’s about a lack of hesitation and a willingness to sprint towards sin.
No Hesitation
This isn't about stumbling into sin, but about a passionate, unhindered rush toward wrongdoing. The people described here aren't struggling against temptation; they are willingly embracing it, like "willing slaves to their lusts." Their feet don't drag; they fly.
Greed for Mischief
The phrase "run to mischief" implies an insatiable appetite for sin. It suggests that once a wicked plan is conceived, there's an intense desire to carry it out without delay, showing a deep-seated commitment to evil.
Understand the original words
leb · Hebrew Noun
The seat of the intellect, will, and emotions in biblical anthropology. A heart that plots evil demonstrates a mind and will corrupted by sinful intent.
ra'ah · Hebrew Noun
Actions characterized by moral badness, depravity, or harmful intent. It stands in direct opposition to God's standard of righteousness.
This verse describes the heart as deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, aligning with the 'heart that devises wicked plans' in Proverbs, highlighting the internal source of evil.
Romans 3:15-16Quoting Isaiah, this passage states that 'their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths there is ruin and misery,' directly paralleling the swift feet running to evil described in Proverbs.
Galatians 5:19-21This passage lists 'works of the flesh' like hatred, strife, and EGVry, which are the very manifestations of the wicked plans and mischief-making heart described in Proverbs.
Matthew 15:18-19Jesus declares that 'what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and these defile a person,' echoing the idea that the heart is the source from which wicked thoughts and actions flow.
pulpitProverbs 6:18: "An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,"
Verse 18. - The fourth thing is an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations. "Wicked imaginations" are literally "thoughts of iniquity;" Hebrew, makh'sh'voth aven; Vulgate, cogitationes pessimas; LXX., λογισμοὺς κακοὺς. The same expression in Isaiah 59:7 is rendered "thoughts of iniquity." (On deviseth, Hebrew khoresh, see ver. 14 and ch. 3:29.) The thought is a repetition of ver. 14a. There a…
ellicottProverbs 6:18: "An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief,"
(18) Feet that be swift in running to mischief. —Who do not yield to temptation after a struggle against it, but give themselves up as willing slaves to their lusts. (l). Twelfth Discourse:—Against Adultery (Proverbs 6:20-35).
What's striking here is how the "heart that devises" isn't just passively having bad thoughts, but actively manufacturing them, like a craftsman making evil plans. Then, those feet don't just wander into trouble; they race towards it, eager to carry out the heart's wicked designs without hesitation.
This passage is part of a larger list of seven things the Lord hates, introduced by the image of a "sowing discord among brethren" and culminating in the description of a person with a scheming heart and eager feet for evil. These verses build on warnings against sloth and gluttony, moving to deliberate, active sinfulness that harms others. The text is leading into a direct warning against adultery, using this description of a wicked heart and feet as a prelude to illustrating the swiftness and destructiveness of that particular sin.
This passage is part of a larger list of seven things the Lord hates, introduced by the image of a "sowing discord among brethren" and culminating in the description of a person with a scheming heart and eager feet for evil. These verses build on warnings against sloth and gluttony, moving to deliberate, active sinfulness that harms others. The text is leading into a direct warning against adultery, using this description of a wicked heart and feet as a prelude to illustrating the swiftness and destructiveness of that particular sin.
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"a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil," — What's striking here is how the "heart that devises" isn't just passively having bad thoughts, but actively manufacturing them, like a craftsman making evil plans. Then, those feet don't just wande…