משלי, פרק ו׳, פסוק י״ב

Following the lessons of the lazy individual and the industrious ant, the focus shifts to a deeply corrupt figure. This person does not merely stumble into personal failure but adopts moral and spiritual decay as a deliberate way of life, particularly in his speech, his attitude toward wisdom, and his relationships with others.

He is known as a worthless scoundrel, a reputation earned directly through his wicked actions [אבן עזרא, רלב״ג, ביאור שטיינזלץ, עמנואל הרומי]. The nature of his character implies that he lives completely without a yoke, having intentionally cast off the authority and kingship of God [מצודת ציון, מצודת דוד]. He is also described as a man of iniquity. Some distinguish between these aspects of his identity based on the target of his corruption. One aspect relates to his soul and intellect, highlighting his spiritual rebellion against God. The other implies power and force, pointing to the unjust, heavy-handed crimes he commits against his fellow human beings [מלבי״ם].

The most prominent feature of this corrupt individual is his distorted speech. The primary approach among commentators is that his words are entirely dishonest, built on a foundation of lies, twisted truths, and harmful gossip. This crookedness is sometimes understood quite literally, as he physically twists his lips to subtly signal slander about others [רש״י, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Beyond deceitful gossip, this crooked speech represents a fundamental rejection of morality. He actively distorts the rules of wisdom, completely losing the ability to tell right from wrong [מלבי״ם]. He stubbornly ignores his teachers, choosing to follow his own foolishness instead. He has no excuse for this behavior, as those who pursue wisdom have repeatedly warned him to abandon his destructive mindset [אמרי דעת]. Furthermore, his distorted speech includes the arrogant mocking of moral instruction. When urged to learn discipline from the ant, he scoffs with pride, insisting that it is far beneath a dignified person to take life lessons from a lowly insect [אלשיך].