Proverbs 16:27

An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.
– Proverbs 16:27

The figure of digging, i.e., digging a pit, is often used for the plotting of evil (Proverbs 26:27). Digging evil also provides a contrast to the figure of searching for wisdom like buried treasure (Proverbs 2:4), so it is necessarily opposite of seeking wisdom. The burning fire in his lips describes the wicked use of the tongue to spread strife (Proverbs 26:20-21; 30:33). The figure is also used to describe deceitful speech (Proverbs 26:23). This proverb informs of the marks of the ungodly, or thoroughly wicked man, whose lips hide “seven abominations in his heart” (Proverbs 26:24-26).

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