Proverbs 6:14 describes a person whose heart is bent toward wrongdoing, someone who keeps planning harm and quietly stirs up conflict between others. The verse is part of a wisdom teaching that warns readers about the kind of character that leads to ruin. It is spoken by a father or teacher within the book of Proverbs, addressing a young person who is being urged to learn the difference between a wise path and a destructive one.
In whose heart is perverseness, who devises evil continually, who always sows discord.
Proverbs 6:14 (WEB)
What Proverbs 6:14 Means
The phrase “in whose heart is perverseness” points to the inner life before any action is visible. In Hebrew thinking the heart is the seat of intention and will, so the verse says the problem begins with a twisted desire, a bent way of wanting things. Perverseness here means a turning away from what is straight and honest, a habit of crooked dealing that has settled into who the person is.
“Who devises evil continually” describes a mind that keeps returning to schemes. The word “continually” matters: this is not one bad moment but a steady pattern of planning. “Who always sows discord” adds the outward effect. Discord is quarrel and division, and sowing it is like scattering seed, planting something that will keep growing in a family, a church, or a workplace long after the sower has walked away.
The verse does not promise that every such person will be caught in a single act, and it does not claim to describe every case perfectly. It makes a general observation about how a heart shaped by malice tends to operate, and it offers that as something to recognize and avoid.
The Context of Proverbs 6:14
The book of Proverbs is a collection of short sayings and instructions, traditionally associated with Solomon, aimed at forming wise and upright living. Chapter 6 moves through several warnings, and the verse sits inside a list that describes a worthless person. The verses just before it describe someone who walks with a perverse mouth and sends signals with eyes, feet, and fingers to deceive others.
The verses that follow in Proverbs 6:15 to 17 speak of sudden calamity and then name seven things that are an abomination to the LORD, including haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood. Read in this setting, verse 14 is not a random insult but part of a careful portrait of how inner corruption moves outward into deceit, division, and violence. That larger frame helps the reader see the verse as a diagnosis of the heart rather than a casual complaint about someone’s manners.
Key Phrases in Proverbs 6:14
Proverbs 6:16-19
16 There are six things which the LORD hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to him: 17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood; 18 a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are swift in running to mischief, 19 a false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.
(WEB)
This passage lists the things the LORD hates and includes “one who sows discord among brothers,” which echoes verse 14 directly. Reading the full list shows how God’s concern for justice and unity runs through every item, and it helps the reader see discord as a serious matter in God’s eyes.
Matthew 5:9
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
(WEB)
Jesus blesses the peacemakers in this beatitude, offering a positive counterpart to the person who sows discord. Where verse 14 warns against planting division, this teaching calls believers to cultivate peace, showing the way of wisdom that Proverbs describes in its negative portrait.
A Short Prayer From Proverbs 6:14
Lord, you see the places in my heart that I would rather keep hidden. Search me and show me any crookedness that has taken root there, and give me the honesty to name it before you. Keep my thoughts from circling back to schemes that harm others, and guard my mouth from stirring up quarrels or feeding division. Make me a person who brings peace where I go, and let my words build up rather than tear down. Thank you for your patience with my heart and for your willingness to make it straight. Amen.