· Translation: KJV

Proverbs 16:30One who winks his eyes to plot perversities, one who compresses his lips, is bent on evil.

The setting

Ancient Israel, ~950 BC. Court observers document the subtle body language of scheming officials and merchants in Jerusalem, Israel.

The emotion here: keen observational warning

The original word

qārats (קָרַץ) — to pinch, wink, signal secretly with malicious intent

Why it matters

Ancient Near Eastern cultures paid close attention to eye movements as indicators of character and intent

Read with care

What most readers miss in Proverbs 16:30

The compressed lips aren't anger — they're someone holding back their true evil intentions while appearing calm

Common misconceptionPeople think this is about obvious liars, but it's about sophisticated manipulators who use subtle signals and calculated silence to deceive.

Bible Genome reading

Proverbs 16:30 — Bible Genome reading

EraUnited Kingdom
Primary emotionangry
Literary typewisdom

Emotional genome

Comfort power20%
Quotability60%
Memorability60%
Crisis relevance50%
Standalone70%
Themes:deceptionplottingevil

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Proverbs 16

Proverbs 16:30 comes from the book of Proverbs, written during the United Kingdom period. The dominant emotion in this verse is angry, with a comfort power of 20% and a tone that is commanding. It belongs to the wisdom genre of biblical literature. Key themes include deception, plotting, evil. Notable phrases: winks his eyes; bent on evil.

Your reflection

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