16:30
Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:
30a
He who winks his eye devises perversity ;
30b
he who purses his lips is bent on evil.
16:30a–b
He who winks his eye…he who purses his lips: The phrases winks his eye and purses his lips both refer to facial gestures that a wicked person makes. He probably makes these gestures to a fellow criminal, to indicate that he is planning to trick or harm someone. To “purse the lips” means to press the lips together. This gesture may be a signal to keep quiet. All we know for certain is that it is a gesture associated with someone who is intending to do evil.
The Good News Translation begins this verse with the phrase “Watch out for people who…” Although a warning may be implied in this and many other proverbs, the text itself does not contain a warning. It only describes the gestures of a person who is plotting an evil deed.
Different cultures may not associate these gestures with a criminal who signals his intentions to harm someone. If these gestures have the wrong meaning in your culture, you may substitute gestures with the right meaning. For example:
When someone winks or grins behind your back (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
With narrowed eyes…with a smirk (New Living Translation (2004))
devises perversity…is bent on evil: These parallel phrases function together. They indicate that the person who makes gestures intends to deceive someone and cause him harm.
General Comment on 16:30a–b
In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts. See 16:30a–b (combined/reordered) in the Display.
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