en_tn_condensed/pro/26/22.md

# The words of a gossip are like delicious morsels

This speaks of gossip being desirable to listen to as if it were delicious food to eat. AT: "The words of a gossip are desirable to listen to" or (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-simile]])

# they go down into the inner parts of the body

This speaks of the words that a gossip says going into a person's mind and affecting his thoughts as if they were food that was going into his stomach. This sentence is equivalent to [Proverbs 18:8](../18/07.md). AT: "and they enter a person's mind and affect his thoughts" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# Like the glaze overlaying an earthen vessel so are burning lips and an evil heart

This simile means that a person who says things to hide the evil in their heart are like a earthen vessel covered in glaze to make it look good. These phrases can be reordered. AT: "People who have burning lips and an evil heart are like an earthen vessel covered with glaze" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-simile]])

# the glaze overlaying an earthen vessel

"the shiny glaze that covers a clay pot." A clay pot is cheap and common. So people covered it was a glaze to make it shiny and appear more expensive.

# so are burning lips and an evil heart

This represents a person who has burning lips and an evil heart. AT: "so is a person who has burning lips and an evil heart" or "so is a person who says nice things but whose heart is evil" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche]])

# burning lips

The word "burning" is a metaphor for "strongly emotional" and the word "lips" is a metonym for "speech." AT: "emotional speech" or "saying nice things" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])

# an evil heart

The heart represents a person's thoughts, attitudes, desires, or feelings. AT: "evil thoughts" or "evil desires" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])