Proverbs 6:17
haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood,
haughty eyes,

Pride exalts self against God and looks down on those made in His image. Scripture repeatedly warns that the proud will be humbled, for “pride goes before destruction” (Proverbs 16:18), while the Lord alone is rightly exalted (Isaiah 2:11). Christ revealed the opposite spirit through willing humility and obedience to the Father, even unto death (Philippians 2:5–8).

Psa 18:27 For You save an afflicted people, but You humble…
Pro 21:4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart—the guides of the wicked…
Isa 2:11 The proud look of man will be humbled…

a lying tongue,

Falsehood violates God’s command to bear true witness and destroys the justice and trust on which covenant community depends (Exodus 20:16). Deceit also reflects the character of Satan, whom Jesus called “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). God calls His people to speak truth, remembering that Christ is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

Psa 120:2 Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips…
Isa 59:3 For your hands are stained with blood, and your lips…
Pro 12:22 Lying lips are detestable to the LORD…

hands that shed innocent blood,

Murder assaults the sacred value of human life, which God created in His own image. Abel’s blood cried to God from the ground after Cain killed him (Genesis 4:8–10), establishing the seriousness of innocent bloodshed throughout biblical history. Israel’s laws required justice for murder and warned that bloodshed defiles the land (Numbers 35:33). The condemnation of violence also heightens the injustice of Christ’s death: the sinless Son of God was delivered over by wicked hands, yet His shed blood secured forgiveness for sinners.

2Ki 24:4 and also for the innocent blood he had shed.…
Jer 22:17 But your eyes and heart are set on nothing…
Psa 106:38 They shed innocent blood—the blood of their sons…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Solomon
Traditionally considered the author of Proverbs, Solomon was the son of King David and known for his wisdom. He compiled these sayings to impart wisdom and moral instruction.

2. Israel
The nation to whom the Proverbs were originally addressed, providing guidance for living a life pleasing to God.

3. The Wise and the Foolish
Throughout Proverbs, these two archetypes represent those who follow God's wisdom and those who reject it.
Teaching Points
Guard Against Pride
"Haughty eyes" symbolize arrogance and self-exaltation. As believers, we must cultivate humility, recognizing our dependence on God.

Speak Truthfully
A "lying tongue" is detestable to God. We are called to be people of integrity, ensuring our words reflect truth and honesty.

Value Life
"Hands that shed innocent blood" remind us of the sanctity of life. We must advocate for justice and protect the vulnerable, aligning our actions with God's heart for the innocent.

Reflect on Inner Attitudes
These verses challenge us to examine our hearts, as outward actions often reflect inner attitudes. Regular self-examination and repentance are crucial.

Seek God's Wisdom
Proverbs encourages us to seek divine wisdom to navigate life's challenges, avoiding the pitfalls of pride, deceit, and violence.
Bible Study Questions
1. How can we identify and combat pride in our daily lives, and what practical steps can we take to cultivate humility?

2. In what ways can we ensure that our speech aligns with biblical principles of truthfulness and integrity?

3. How does the sanctity of life influence our views on contemporary issues such as justice, violence, and advocacy for the vulnerable?

4. Reflect on a time when your actions were influenced by inner attitudes. How can regular self-examination help align our hearts with God's will?

5. How can seeking God's wisdom through prayer and scripture study help us avoid the pitfalls mentioned in Proverbs 6:17?
Connections to Other Scriptures
James 3:5-6
This passage discusses the power of the tongue, similar to the "lying tongue" mentioned in Proverbs 6:17, emphasizing the destructive potential of words.

Matthew 5:21-22
Jesus expands on the commandment against murder, connecting it to anger and hatred, which aligns with "hands that shed innocent blood."

Isaiah 2:11
This verse speaks against the prideful, connecting to "haughty eyes" and God's judgment against arrogance.
The Condemnation of PrideW. Clarkson Proverbs 6:16, 17
The Divine Dislike of DeceitfulnessW. Clarkson Proverbs 6:16, 17
A Catalogue of AbominationsE. Johnson Proverbs 6:16-19
The Brand of GodW. Clarkson Proverbs 6:16-19
The Seven Abominable ThingsD. Thomas, D. D.Proverbs 6:16-19
People
Solomon
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Blood, Cause, Hands, Haughty, Innocent, Lying, Pride, Proud, Shed, Shedding, Tongue, Tongues
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Proverbs 6:17

     5156   hand
     5193   tongue

Proverbs 6:12-19

     8736   evil, warnings against

Proverbs 6:16-17

     8278   innocence, teaching on

Proverbs 6:16-18

     5925   rashness
     6186   evil scheming

Proverbs 6:16-19

     1656   numbers, combinations
     6025   sin, and God's character

Library
The Talking Book
A Sermon (No. 1017) Delivered on Lord's Day Morning, October 22nd, 1871 at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, by C. H. Spurgeon. "When thou awakest, it shall talk with thee."--Proverbs 6:22. It is a very happy circumstance when the commandment of our father and the law of our mother are also the commandment of God and the law of the Lord. Happy are they who have a double force to draw them to the right--the bonds of nature, and the cords of grace. They sin with a vengeance who sin both against
C.H. Spurgeon—Sermons on Proverbs

An Appeal to Children of Godly Parents
A sermon (No. 2406) intended for reading on Lord's Day, March 31st, 1895, delivered by C. H. Spurgeon at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, on Lord's Day evening, March 27th, 1887. "My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law
C.H. Spurgeon—Sermons on Proverbs

The Talking Book
In order that we may be persuaded so to do, Solomon gives us three telling reasons. He says that God's law, by which I understand the whole run of Scripture, and, especially the gospel of Jesus Christ, will be a guide to us:--"When thou goest, it shall lead thee." It will be a guardian to us: "When thou sleepest"--when thou art defenceless and off thy guard--"it shall keep thee." And it shall also be a dear companion to us: "When thou awakest, it shall talk with thee." Any one of these three arguments
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 17: 1871

How Sowers of Strifes and Peacemakers are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 24.) Differently to be admonished are sowers of strifes and peacemakers. For sowers of strifes are to be admonished to perceive whose followers they are. For of the apostate angel it is written, when tares had been sown among the good crop, An enemy hath done this (Matth. xiii. 28). Of a member of him also it is said through Solomon, An apostate person, an unprofitable man, walketh with a perverse mouth, he winketh with his eyes, he beateth with his foot, he speaketh with his finger,
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

A Jealous God
I. Reverently, let us remember that THE LORD IS EXCEEDINGLY JEALOUS OF HIS DEITY. Our text is coupled with the command--"Thou shalt worship no other God." When the law was thundered from Sinai, the second commandment received force from the divine jealousy--"Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in the heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 9: 1863

How Subjects and Prelates are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 5.) Differently to be admonished are subjects and prelates: the former that subjection crush them not, the latter that superior place elate them not: the former that they fail not to fulfil what is commanded them, the latter that they command not more to be fulfilled than is just: the former that they submit humbly, the latter that they preside temperately. For this, which may be understood also figuratively, is said to the former, Children, obey your parents in the Lord: but to
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

The Preface to the Commandments
And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God,' &c. Exod 20: 1, 2. What is the preface to the Ten Commandments? The preface to the Ten Commandments is, I am the Lord thy God.' The preface to the preface is, God spake all these words, saying,' &c. This is like the sounding of a trumpet before a solemn proclamation. Other parts of the Bible are said to be uttered by the mouth of the holy prophets (Luke 1: 70), but here God spake in his own person. How are we to understand that, God spake,
Thomas Watson—The Ten Commandments

"Boast not Thyself of to Morrow, for Thou Knowest not what a Day May Bring Forth. "
Prov. xxvii. 1.--"Boast not thyself of to morrow, for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." As man is naturally given to boasting and gloriation in something (for the heart cannot want some object to rest upon and take complacency in, it is framed with such a capacity of employing other things), so there is a strong inclination in man towards the time to come, he hath an immortal appetite, and an appetite of immortality; and therefore his desires usually stretch farther than the present
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

The Heavenly Footman; Or, a Description of the Man that Gets to Heaven:
TOGETHER WITH THE WAY HE RUNS IN, THE MARKS HE GOES BY; ALSO, SOME DIRECTIONS HOW TO RUN SO AS TO OBTAIN. 'And it came to pass, when they had brought them forth abroad, that he said, Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain: escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed.'--Genesis 19:17. London: Printed for John Marshall, at the Bible in Gracechurch Street, 1698. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. About forty years ago a gentleman, in whose company I had commenced my
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

In Death and after Death
A sadder picture could scarcely be drawn than that of the dying Rabbi Jochanan ben Saccai, that "light of Israel" immediately before and after the destruction of the Temple, and for two years the president of the Sanhedrim. We read in the Talmud (Ber. 28 b) that, when his disciples came to see him on his death-bed, he burst into tears. To their astonished inquiry why he, "the light of Israel, the right pillar of the Temple, and its mighty hammer," betrayed such signs of fear, he replied: "If I were
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

"And Watch unto Prayer. "
1 Pet. iv. 7.--"And watch unto prayer." "Watch." A Christian should watch. A Christian is a watchman by office. This duty of watchfulness is frequently commanded and commended in scripture, Matt. xxiv. 42, Mark xiii. 33, 1 Cor. xvi. 13, Eph. vi. 18, 1 Pet. v. 8, Col. iv. 2; Luke xii. 37. David did wait as they that did watch for the morning light. The ministers of the gospel are styled watchmen in scripture and every Christian should be to himself as a minister is to his flock, he should watch over
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Proverbs
Many specimens of the so-called Wisdom Literature are preserved for us in the book of Proverbs, for its contents are by no means confined to what we call proverbs. The first nine chapters constitute a continuous discourse, almost in the manner of a sermon; and of the last two chapters, ch. xxx. is largely made up of enigmas, and xxxi. is in part a description of the good housewife. All, however, are rightly subsumed under the idea of wisdom, which to the Hebrew had always moral relations. The Hebrew
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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