Proverbs 6:13 describes a person who communicates with hidden, deceptive gestures: winking, signaling with the feet, and motioning with the fingers, all to mislead or conspire against others. The verse is part of a warning about a “worthless person” whose words and body language cannot be trusted. It is spoken by a father to his son in the book of Proverbs, a teacher-style collection of wisdom sayings traditionally associated with Solomon.
Who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, who motions with his fingers…
Proverbs 6:13 (WEB)
What Proverbs 6:13 Means
The verse lists three kinds of silent signals. A wink with the eyes, a foot tapped or moved as a sign, and fingers pointed or waved to direct someone are all ways of saying something without speaking it aloud. In the original setting, these are not harmless habits. They are used to pass secret messages between people who are planning mischief, so that the intended target does not notice.
What the verse does not do is condemn every wink or friendly gesture. Ordinary human expression is not the target. The concern is the posture of the heart behind the signals, a deliberate pattern of duplicity. Read carefully, the verse warns about a person whose whole way of communicating is designed to hide what they really intend, rather than offering a blanket rule against nonverbal communication.
The Context of Proverbs 6:13
The book of Proverbs is a collection of short, memorable sayings meant to shape character and daily conduct. Chapter 6 moves from practical warnings about becoming tied to a debt or a bad partnership into a description of the kind of person to avoid. Verses 10 and 11 speak of laziness, and verse 12 introduces the “worthless person” whose mouth is crooked. Verse 13 illustrates that crookedness through body language, and verses 14 and 15 describe the sudden ruin that follows.
Seeing this sequence changes how the verse reads. It is not an isolated comment on eye contact or hand gestures. It is one piece of a larger portrait showing how a person of deceit builds harm: first by hidden signals, then by a heart set on evil, and finally by a collapse that comes quickly. The surrounding verses turn a picture of small gestures into a warning about where hidden intent leads.
Key Phrases in Proverbs 6:13
Psalm 15:2
He who walks blamelessly does what is right, and speaks truth in his heart…
(WEB)
This psalm describes the person who walks blamelessly and speaks truth from the heart. It pairs naturally with Proverbs 6:13 because it shows the opposite of hidden signaling: a life where what is in the heart matches what is spoken and done.
Ephesians 4:25
Therefore putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor. For we are members of one another.
(WEB)
Paul calls believers to put away falsehood and speak truthfully with one another. This verse extends the concern of Proverbs 6:13 into the life of the church, where open honesty replaces the concealed messages that divide and deceive.
A Short Prayer From Proverbs 6:13
Lord, you see what I do in the open and what I try to hide. Search my heart where my words and gestures might carry a message I would not want others to see. Make me a person whose eyes, feet, and hands speak only what is true and kind. Where others around me use concealed signals to harm or exclude, give me patience, clarity, and the courage to seek honesty in the open. Keep my heart straight before you. Amen.
