Proverbs 6:16

These six - doth the Lord hate -

1. A proud look - exalted eyes; those who will not condescend to look on the rest of mankind.

2. A lying tongue - he who neither loves nor tells truth.

3. Hands that shed innocent blood, whether by murder or by battery.

4. A heart that deviseth wicked imaginations - the heart that fabricates such, lays the foundation, builds upon it, and completes the superstructure of iniquity.

5. Feet that be swift in running to mischief - he who works iniquity with greediness.

6. A false witness that speaketh lies - one who, even on his oath before a court of justice, tells any thing but the truth.

Seven are an abomination unto him - נפשו naphsho, "to his soul." The seventh is, he that soweth discord among brethren - he who troubles the peace of a family, of a village, of the state; all who, by lies and misrepresentations, strive to make men's minds evil-affected towards their brethren.

A new section, but not a new subject. The closing words, "he that soweth discord" (Proverbs 6:19, compare Proverbs 6:14), lead us to identify the sketch as taken from the same character. With the recognized Hebrew form of climax (see Proverbs 30:15, Proverbs 30:18, Proverbs 30:24; Amos 1:1-15; 2; Job 5:19), the teacher here enumerates six qualities as detestable, and the seventh as worse than all (seven represents completeness), but all the seven in this instance belong to one man, the man of Belial Proverbs 6:12.

6:16 Hate - Above many other sins which have a worse name in the world.