18:8 The words of a gossip 1 are like choice morsels; 2
they go down into the person’s innermost being. 3
24:31 I saw 4 that thorns had grown up all over it,
the ground 5 was covered with weeds,
and its stone wall was broken down.
26:22 The words of a gossip are like delicious morsels;
they go down into a person’s innermost being. 6
1 tn Or “slanderer”; KJV, NAB “talebearer”; ASV, NRSV “whisperer.”
2 tn The word כְּמִתְלַהֲמִים (kÿmitlahamim) occurs only here. It is related to a cognate verb meaning “to swallow greedily.” Earlier English versions took it from a Hebrew root הָלַם (halam, see the word לְמַהֲלֻמוֹת [lÿmahalumot] in v. 6) meaning “wounds” (so KJV). But the translation of “choice morsels” fits the idea of gossip better.
3 tn Heb “they go down [into] the innermost parts of the belly”; NASB “of the body.”
4 tn The Hebrew term וְהִנֵּה (vÿhinneh, traditionally “and, lo” [KJV, ASV]) is a deictic particle that calls attention to what comes next. “And look” is too abrupt here; “I saw” calls attention to the field that was noticed.
5 tn Heb “its face” (so KJV, ASV).
7 tn The proverb is essentially the same as 18:8; it observes how appealing gossip is.