17:4

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

4a
A wicked man listens to evil lips ;

4b
a liar gives ear to a destructive tongue.

The second line specifies what the first line means. “A liar” (17:4b) specifies a particular kind of “wicked man” (17:4a), and “destructive” (17:4b) further defines the meaning of “evil” in 17:4a.

17:4a–b

evil lips…a destructive tongue: As in other proverbs, lips and tongue are figures of speech that represent the words that a person says. The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a destructive tongue refers to malicious or cruel words. These words are intended to cause harm to others. They are associated with lies, so they are equivalent to slander or malicious gossip.

Some other ways to translate these figures of speech are:

evil words…cruel words (New Century Version)
-or-
gossip…slander (New Living Translation (2004))

General Comment on 17:4a–b

The parallel lines function together to describe one kind of person. They refer to a wicked person who tells lies. In some languages, it may be necessary to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts to make this meaning clear. For example:

Wicked liars listen eagerly to gossip and slander.

See also 17:4a–b (combined/reordered).

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