Proverbs 10:10
The one who winks his eye causes trouble,
and the one who speaks foolishness will come to ruin.
The teaching of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but the speech of the wicked conceals violence.
What’s not being said? Have you ever been in one of those situations where you know there is a lot that’s not being said? You know, you’re having a conversation where you can tell there is a lot more going on than what you’re hearing, but you never quite hear the full story.
Or worse, you know the truth but they don’t know that you know. Still, they don’t reveal the whole truth. They start to reveal in part, but you know there is much more to it.
I think that could be a part of what’s being said here. But I also think it’s talking about the advice of the wicked. If someone gives you advice that crosses a line, the chances are pretty good that they are also concealing quite a bit of wickedness within.
A wink is bad, speaking foolishness is worse. Winking is malicious, but speaking foolishness will ruin your life. Now, I don’t think it’s a big deal to wink anymore. Not like it would have meant back then. From my understanding, winking was associated with the wheelers and dealers of the day. The ones who’d try to win you over with charisma, just to take advantage of you in some way.
The point is you can’t trust the words of the foolish. You can’t trust what wicked people say. It’s best to avoid them so that they don’t bring you to ruin as well.
The advice of the wicked is the opposite of knowledge and discernment.
However, the teaching of the righteous is a fountain of life. The words of the wicked = death and ruin. The words of the righteous = fountain of life.
If someone comes to you trying to woo you to something you’re not sure about, or if you feel that there is more to it than what’s being said, it would probably be a good idea to go the other way. It would be better to miss out on whatever opportunity they are offering than to bring trouble, violence and ruin on your life!
