What is the meaning of Proverbs 16:28?

A perverse man

“a crooked, morally warped person” (see Proverbs 2:12-15; 10:31-32)

• His heart has turned from God’s straight path, so his words and actions follow suit.

• Rather than building up, he delights in twisting truth and motives, much like the “schemer” in Proverbs 6:14 who “plots evil continually.”

• Such a person stands opposed to the God of order and peace (1 Corinthians 14:33) and therefore to the health of any community he enters.

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spreads dissension

“spreads” pictures sowing seeds; conflict is the inevitable harvest (Proverbs 6:19).

• Methods include half-truths, subtle innuendo, and the cynical tone that makes suspicion sound sophisticated (James 3:14-16).

• Dissension doesn’t erupt overnight; it’s cultivated, like weeds in an untended field (Proverbs 26:20-21).

• God hates this practice because He loves unity among His people (Psalm 133:1; John 17:21).

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and a gossip

“gossip” translates to the person who whispers behind backs (Proverbs 18:8).

• The gossip often disguises slander as concern, curiosity, or even a prayer request (Proverbs 26:22-25).

• Paul lists gossip with sins that destroy a church’s witness (Romans 1:29-30; 2 Corinthians 12:20).

• Unlike honest, loving confrontation (Ephesians 4:15), gossip hides in the dark; it cannot survive the light of truth.

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divides close friends

The most vulnerable relationships are the deepest ones.

• Words once shared in confidence become weapons that fracture trust (Proverbs 17:9).

• The rupture affects more than the two parties; circles of family, church, and workplace feel the shock waves (Proverbs 11:9; 15:18).

• God’s design is covenant loyalty—friends who “stick closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24)—but gossip drives a wedge where God intends steadfast love.

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summary

Proverbs 16:28 warns that twisted hearts produce twisted words, and those words wreck relationships God treasures. Pursue straight paths, speak truth in love, refuse every whisper that wounds, and you will cultivate the unity Christ died to secure (Ephesians 4:29-32).