Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire;
he breaks out against all sound judgement.
A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
but only in expressing his opinion.
When wickedness comes, contempt comes also,
and with dishonour comes disgrace.
The words of a man's mouth are deep waters;
the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook.Proverbs 18:1-4
There are two different possibilities in the understanding of 1: one is to follow the old RV, and read, 'He that separateth himself seeketh (his own) desire, and rageth against all sound wisdom'. This will make its message a shrewd comment on the evil of a 'separatist' attitude, indicating that at its root lies a spirit of self-assertion (cf Jude 19). One thinks of the strong personality who prefers to be 'a big fish in a little pool' than 'a little fish in a big pool', with something of the spirit of Diotrephes 3 John 9) 'who loveth to have the pre-eminence among them'. On the other hand, the RSV has 'He who is estranged seeks pretexts to break out against all sound judgment', that is, being out of joint, he will go out of his way to be difficult (consciously or unconsciously). Either way, the verse has a good deal to teach us. It may be that there is a link between 1 and 2, and that the writer is thinking of the same person in both verses. Certainly both 'separatist' and 'out-of-joint' attitudes seem to have little concern for the difficulty and trouble they cause: at all costs they must express their opinion (RSV), which here in this context means expressing themselves - a fateful disclosure indeed, and one with often disastrous implications. If, as has been suggested, there is a link between 3 and the previous verses, we are given good cause to ponder the amount of trouble the words the writer uses represents. In 4 there is more about words. Here, a contrast seems intended between the reluctance of human nature to be open and frank (cf 20:5) and the clear and refreshing forthrightness of wisdom's well-spring. Perhaps, however, the verse can be taken as a simple statement conveying the benediction that a good man can be to others (cf John 7:38) nothing superficial there, but reservoirs of help and blessing.