Key Verse Spotlight
Proverbs 18:3 - Meaning and Application
Understand how this verse speaks to what you're facing and how to apply it today
Translation: World English Bible — Catholic Edition
" When wickedness comes, contempt also comes, and with shame comes disgrace. "
Proverbs 18:3
Verse in Context
Understanding the surrounding verses prevents misinterpretation:
1 A man who isolates himself pursues selfishness, and defies all sound judgment.
2 A fool has no delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own opinion.
3 When wickedness comes, contempt also comes, and with shame comes disgrace.
4 The words of a man’s mouth are like deep waters. The fountain of wisdom is like a flowing brook.
5 To be partial to the faces of the wicked is not good, nor to deprive the innocent of justice.
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This may have a double meaning. First, wicked people are contemptuous people, and they treat others with scorn. When the wicked enter any company, whether a place of learning or a meeting for worship, contempt enters with them. They show disrespect for God, for his people and ministers, and for everything that is said or done.
That is what you should expect from people who live without reverence for God, they will be scoffers. They become a shame and a reproach, mocking anything serious and respectable. Wise and good people should not be disturbed by this, because the old saying is true, such behavior comes from the wicked.
Second, wicked people are themselves disgraceful, and they bring contempt on themselves. God has said that those who despise him will be held in low esteem. As soon as sin entered the world, shame came with it, and sinners make themselves despicable.
They do not only bring disgrace on themselves, but also on their families, their friends, their ministers, and everyone connected with them. So those who want to protect their honor must keep their virtue.
From This Chapter
Proverbs 18:1
"A man who isolates himself pursues selfishness, and defies all sound judgment."
Proverbs 18:2
"A fool has no delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own opinion."
Proverbs 18:4
"The words of a man’s mouth are like deep waters. The fountain of wisdom is like a flowing brook."
Proverbs 18:5
"To be partial to the faces of the wicked is not good, nor to deprive the innocent of justice."
Proverbs 18:6
"A fool’s lips come into strife, and his mouth invites beatings."
Proverbs 18:7
"A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are a snare to his soul."
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