He that hideth hatred with lying lips, and he that uttereth a slander, is a fool.
This verse comes from the book of Proverbs, a collection of ancient Hebrew wisdom sayings designed to help people live well and honestly. It addresses two different failures of honesty that share the same root. The first is the person who harbors hatred toward someone but hides it behind a pleasant face — Proverbs calls that lying. The second is the person who handles their feelings by talking about someone to others behind their back — Proverbs calls that foolishness. The verse doesn't offer a comfortable middle ground; it simply exposes both choices for what they are.
God, I don't always say what I mean or mean what I say — and I know it. Forgive me for the times I've smiled while seething, and for the conversations I've had about people rather than with them. Give me the courage to be honest, and the wisdom to do it with care. Amen.
Here's what makes this verse uncomfortable: it closes every comfortable exit. Hate someone and keep quiet about it? You're a liar. Hate someone and talk about them to others? You're a fool. Proverbs isn't offering a healthy version of harbored resentment — it's saying the whole enterprise is rotten. And if you've spent any time in a church, a workplace, or honestly any group of people, you've seen both in action. There's a particular kind of person who considers themselves tactful because they never say the hard thing to someone's face — but they'll say plenty to a mutual friend over lunch. Proverbs would call that gossip dressed up as discretion. The harder road — the one this verse nudges you toward without spelling it out — is honest, direct, private conversation with the person you actually have a problem with. Not broadcasting grievances. Not performing warmth while privately seething. Something closer to: "I have an issue with you, and I care enough about the truth to say it to your face." That's not natural. It costs something. But it's what keeps your words and your heart from slowly splitting apart — and it's the only path that doesn't leave you playing either the liar or the fool.
Why do you think Proverbs treats concealed hatred as a form of lying — what's the connection between what we feel internally and whether our outward behavior is honest?
Think of a time you chose to stay pleasant with someone you were privately angry with rather than address the tension. What did that cost you — or them — over time?
This verse seems to leave no comfortable option for someone who genuinely dislikes another person. What do you think the implied right response is, even though it isn't stated?
How does the way you talk about people when they're not in the room reflect your actual feelings — and your character?
Is there a relationship in your life right now where you've been hiding real feelings rather than having an honest conversation? What would one honest step forward look like?
He that hateth dissembleth with his lips, and layeth up deceit within him;
Proverbs 26:24
He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.
Psalms 15:3
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Exodus 20:16
Whose hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness shall be shewed before the whole congregation.
Proverbs 26:26
Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.
Exodus 23:1
Burning lips and a wicked heart are like a potsherd covered with silver dross.
Proverbs 26:23
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
Ephesians 4:31
Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
Proverbs 27:6
He who hides hatred has lying lips, And he who spreads slander is a fool.
AMP
The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool.
ESV
He who conceals hatred [has] lying lips, And he who spreads slander is a fool.
NASB
He who conceals his hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool.
NIV
Whoever hides hatred has lying lips, And whoever spreads slander is a fool.
NKJV
Hiding hatred makes you a liar; slandering others makes you a fool.
NLT
Liars secretly hoard hatred; fools openly spread slander.
MSG