The term “froward” describes someone whose character and conduct fundamentally deviate from what is right and upright. It is the opposite of “toward,” meaning perverse[1], and refers to one who turns aside from the way of uprightness, a transgressor of the Law[2].
In Proverbs, the froward person emerges as someone whose perversity manifests through deliberate harm to others. The word describes a mouth that creates pandemonium, chaos, and confusion—it means “to overthrow or to overturn something,” and God hates those that create chaos and confusion with their tongues[3]. This isn’t accidental rudeness but intentional disruption. Frowardness resides in the heart, where the wicked man continually devises mischief—chaos, calamity, distress, and trouble—that leads to discord, division, or strife[3].
The consequences of frowardness ripple outward. A froward man sows strife and, through whispering, separates chief friends[3]. This divisiveness matters to those in authority: The wrath of the king is against those that create shame, chaos, or confusion in his kingdom because chaos and confusion disrupt the peace, causing people to riot, loot, fight, and destroy people and property, which creates problems for those in authority[3].
Most significantly, the froward person is included under the category of “the abominable”—something which, being impure and unclean, is especially abhorrent to Jehovah[2]. Prosperity and worldly success are not always a true measure of Divine favour, and the froward person is excluded from the special favour with which Jehovah regards the upright, by revealing to them what he conceals from others, or his friendship[2]. The warning against the froward person thus stands as a call to recognize that perversity—especially when wielded through speech and deception—invites God’s disdain and isolation from His intimate counsel.
[1] James Hastings et al., in Dictionary of the Bible (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1909), 274.
[2] H. D. M. Spence-Jones, ed., Proverbs, The Pulpit Commentary (London; New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1909), 67.
[3] Rod Mattoon, Treasures from Proverbs, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2011), 3:142–143.
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