Proverbs 6:12-13 (ESV)
12 A worthless person, a wicked man,
goes about with crooked speech,
13 winks with his eyes, signals with his feet,
points with his finger,
The father describes for his son the kind of person he must learn to recognize and avoid. He calls him a “worthless person.” The Hebrew word translated as “worthless” is beliyyaal. In some contexts it functions almost like a proper name and later becomes associated with a personification of evil. Paul uses the name in 2 Corinthians 6:15 as a title for the devil. This is no minor flaw of temperament. It describes someone who stands opposed to what is good and aligned with what is evil.
He is also called “wicked.” The Hebrew word translated as “wicked” is aven, a term that carries the sense of trouble or iniquity and can also suggest emptiness or futility. This is what evil looks like in everyday life. It is not just a category in theology but a pattern of conduct that brings harm. His life is morally hollow, and wherever he goes, harm follows and ruin trails behind him. Evil, in this proverb, is not loud or dramatic. It is subtle, but calculated and destructive.
His sinful character first reveals itself in his speech. He goes about with crooked words, twisting facts and speaking lies. This is how evil often advances, not through open violence but through distorted communication. Truth does not define him, nor does integrity govern his tongue. A troublemaker revises reality to suit his own purposes. He is not careless with his words but calculated, using them as tools to mislead and divide.
But his deception does not end with words. He winks with his eyes. This is not harmless playfulness. It is a calculated signal meant to mislead. He communicates secret intentions to those who share in his schemes. He signals with his feet, perhaps tracing signs in the dust or giving subtle cues. He points with his finger, drawing attention to his target, possibly accusing and certainly directing others where to look.
Accusing and directing others where to look, from his eyes to his feet to his finger, his whole body is recruited for the work of harm. Behind the back of the one he seeks to ruin, he quietly gathers allies, intent on damaging the reputation of the godly. He may cloak it as concern or discernment, but his aim is superiority. He feels no shame in leading others to view his victim with suspicion. So, stay far from those who build themselves up by tearing others down. And examine your own heart. Never seek to elevate yourself at the expense of another. Truth builds. Deception destroys.