Proverbs (Part 122) - Pro 10:10

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10. Pro 10:10 – "He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: but a prating fool shall fall." A. He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow: i. Winking is a clandestine method of communication that wicked men use to convey nonverbal information to other wicked men. a. Wink v. - 1. a. intr. To close one's eyes. (Also in fig. context: cf. 5, 6.) Obs. 7. a. intr. To give a significant glance, as of command, direction, or invitation: usually const. on, upon, later to, at. Obs. b. The wicked wink with the eye to signal their evil intentions to their coconspirators (Psa 35:19). (i) This is a prophecy of the wicked who hated Jesus Christ without a cause (Joh 15:25). (ii) They conspired together to destroy Him (Psa 69:4 c/w Mar 3:6 c/w Mar 11:18 c/w Mat 27:20). c. Winking with the eyes is a sign that a man has turned his spirit against God (Job 15:12-13). d. "...it is the air and gesture of a sneering and deceitful man, who gives the wink to some of his friends, sneering at the weakness of another in company; or as signifying to them some secret design of his against another, which he chooses not to declare in any other way;" (John Gill's Commentary, Pro 6:13) ii. A violent man "shutteth his eyes (winks) to devise froward things" (Pro 16:29-30). iii. He that winks with his eye causes sorrow. a. Whatever type of winking with the eye is under consideration in this verse, it is evil because it causes sorrow. b. Sorrow n. – 1. Distress of mind caused by loss, suffering, disappointment, etc.; grief, deep sadness or regret; also, that which causes grief or melancholy; affliction, trouble. c. The eye is the window of the soul. d. There are men who have an evil eye which reveals their evil heart (Pro 23:6-7). e. Men who haste to be rich have an evil eye (Pro 28:22). (i) Their evil eyes are full of darkness because they serve money instead of God (Mat 6:21-24). (ii) The love of money is the root of all evil, and it causes hurtful lusts and many sorrows (1Ti 6:9-10). f. Such evil men wink with the eye to close business deals. (i) They sometimes wink to signal their nefarious intentions. (ii) They also often figuratively close their eyes to the unethical things which they are doing to get rich. g. They cause sorrow to both themselves and others. h. "He that winks with the eye, as if he took no notice of you, when at the same time he is watching an opportunity to do you an ill turn, that makes signs to his accomplices when to come into assist him in executing his wicked projects, which are all carried on by trick and artifice, causes sorrow both to others and to himself." (Matthew Henry, Pro 10:10) B. but a prating fool shall fall. i. Fool n. - I. 1. a. One deficient in judgement or sense, one who acts or behaves stupidly, a silly person, a simpleton. (In Biblical use applied to vicious or impious persons.) The word has in mod.Eng. a much stronger sense than it had at an earlier period; it has now an implication of insulting contempt which does not in the same degree belong to any of its synonyms, or to the derivative foolish. ii. Prating adj. – That prates, talking idly, chattering. iii. Prate v. – 1. intr. To talk, to chatter: usually dyslogistic implying speaking much or long to little purpose; formerly also to speak insolently, boastfully, or officiously; to tell tales, blab. iv. Fools are known for their much speaking to little purpose (Ecc 5:3; Ecc 10:14). v. Because a prating fool will not receive God's commandments (Pro 10:8), he will fall. a. The wicked fool will fall by his own wickedness (Pro 11:5). b. He will fall because of his pride (Pro 16:18). c. He will fall into mischief because he doesn't have nor heed God's commandments (Pro 24:16). d. He will fall at once because of his perverse ways (Pro 28:18). vi. Take heed to Solomon's warning that a prating fool shall fall because he said it twice in this chapter (Pro 10:8). vii. A prating fool is less dangerous than the man who winks with the eye, for the blabbering fool only destroys himself, while the other causes sorrow to others.