Bird's-eye view
Proverbs 16:27 is a compact and potent description of a particular kind of wicked man, often translated as a "worthless" or "vile" man, or a "man of Belial." The verse is a classic example of Hebrew parallelism, where the second line intensifies and explains the first. This man's character is defined by his malicious intent; he actively "digs up evil." This is not a passive falling into sin, but an industrious excavation of it. The fruit of this internal corruption is then revealed in his speech, which is compared to a "scorching fire." His words are not merely untrue or unkind; they are destructive, consuming, and leave behind a wake of devastation. This proverb, therefore, is a stark warning about the inseparable link between a corrupt heart and destructive speech, showing how a man's words are a reliable diagnostic of his spiritual state.
The core lesson is that certain men are not just sinners by default, as all men are, but have given themselves over to the active pursuit and dissemination of evil. Their work is deconstruction. Their talk is arson. The proverb forces us to consider the source of destructive words, tracing them back to a heart that deliberately seeks out filth. It serves as a warning to the righteous to be wary of such individuals and, more importantly, to examine their own hearts and tongues, lest they find themselves engaging in the same hellish enterprise on a smaller scale.
Outline
- 1. The Character and the Conduct (Prov 16:27)
- a. The Vile Man's Industry: Digging for Evil (v. 27a)
- b. The Vile Man's Weaponry: Words Like Fire (v. 27b)
Context In Proverbs
This verse sits within a broader section of Proverbs 16 that contrasts the ways of the wicked with the ways of the righteous, all under the sovereign gaze of God. The chapter begins by establishing that man's plans are subject to God's sovereign direction (Prov 16:1, 9). It discusses the king's role in justice (Prov 16:10-15) and the supreme value of wisdom and righteousness (Prov 16:16-20). Following this, a series of proverbs extols the virtue of pleasant and wise speech (Prov 16:21-24), describing it as a "honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones" (v. 24). Verse 27, therefore, lands with intentional and jarring force. It is the antithesis, the polar opposite, of the life-giving speech just described. If the words of the wise are honey, the words of the vile man are fire. This sharp contrast highlights the profound moral and spiritual chasm between two kinds of people, defined by the source and effect of their words.
Key Issues
- The Nature of the "Vile Man" (Man of Belial)
- The Connection Between Heart and Speech
- The Destructive Power of Words (Gossip, Slander)
- The Concept of Deliberate Sin
Verbal Arson
James tells us that the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity, set on fire by hell (James 3:6). This proverb in Solomon's collection is an Old Testament snapshot of that very principle. The vile man is a verbal arsonist. It is crucial to see that the fire on his lips is not accidental. It is the direct result of his diligent labor. He "digs up" evil. Think of the effort involved in an excavation. He is a man with a shovel and a mission. He is not looking for treasure; he is looking for trash, for dirt, for something rotten to bring to the surface. He is the sort of man who goes looking for a grievance, who seeks out an old offense, who prospects for rumors. He is a muckraker in the truest sense.
And once he has unearthed this "evil," what does he do with it? He does not bury it again. He puts it on his lips, and in the process, it is transformed into a "scorching fire." His speech becomes the delivery system for the malice he has excavated from his own heart or the lives of others. This is the essence of slander, malicious gossip, and divisive speech. It is not just idle chatter. It is a calculated act of destruction, intended to burn reputations, relationships, and peace. This is the work of a man of Belial, a son of worthlessness, whose ultimate father is the first slanderer, the devil.
Verse by Verse Commentary
27 A vile man digs up evil,
The subject here is a specific type of person. The Hebrew is ish beliyyaal, a man of Belial. This term denotes more than just a run-of-the-mill sinner; it points to a man who is profoundly worthless, good-for-nothing, and given over to destruction. He is the scoundrel, the troublemaker. His characteristic activity is that he "digs up evil." The verb here implies a deliberate and diligent search. He is an excavator of iniquity. This is not someone who stumbles into sin. He prospects for it. He is looking for dirt on someone. He is the man who, in a conversation, is always steering it toward a rumor, a bit of gossip, a past failure. He is mining for material that he can use for destructive purposes. This digging reveals the state of his heart. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, and his heart is a mine of malice. He is industrious in his sin, which is a grotesque parody of the diligence the righteous are called to.
And the words on his lips are like scorching fire.
This second clause gives us the result of his digging. The evil he unearths becomes the fuel for the fire on his lips. The image is powerful. A scorching, or burning, fire does not just warm; it consumes, it destroys, it blackens, it leaves scars. This is what the words of the vile man do. His slander can destroy a reputation that took a lifetime to build. His gossip can burn down a friendship. His divisive words can set a whole church or community ablaze with suspicion and strife. As James would later write, "Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!" (James 3:5). The vile man's tongue is the spark. His words are not constructive criticism, nor are they clumsy misstatements. They are weapons. They are verbal firebombs, and the damage they cause is real, painful, and often permanent. This is a man who leaves a trail of charred relationships wherever he goes.
Application
The first and most obvious application is a warning to stay clear of such men. When you identify a man whose conversation is consistently a digging for dirt and a spewing of fire, you must mark him and avoid him. Do not be the audience for his slander. Do not be the one listening to his gossip. To listen is to hold the gasoline can for the arsonist. The proverb that follows this one is not disconnected: "A perverse man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close companions" (Prov 16:28). This is the same man, the same work. We must have nothing to do with it.
But the more searching application is to turn the proverb on ourselves. Is there any of the man of Belial in us? We are all fallen. We all have a sinful nature that, if left unchecked, loves to dig for dirt. We enjoy a juicy story about someone else's failure because it makes us feel momentarily superior. We can be tempted to use our words as fire, to make a sharp, cutting remark that puts someone in their place. We must therefore bring our hearts and our tongues to the foot of the cross.
The gospel is the only true answer to the vile man. Christ is the one who did not dig up evil on others, but rather had all of our evil dug up and heaped upon Him. On the cross, He absorbed the scorching fire of God's wrath that our slanderous and fiery words deserved. He is the one whose words are never like a scorching fire, but are always like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. By His Spirit, He can transform our hearts from being mines of malice into gardens of grace. He can take our tongues, those little instruments of hellfire, and make them fountains of life. The application, then, is repentance. We must repent of every fiery word, of every moment spent digging for dirt, and ask God to make us men and women whose speech builds up, heals, and gives grace to those who hear.