“For lack of wood
The fire goes out.
Where there is no whisperer,
Quarreling ceases.
As charcoal is to hot embers,
As wood is to fire,
So a quarrelsome person is for kindling strife.
The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels.
They go down into the inner parts of the body.”
I guess that I never thought of whisperers as a problem. Clearly they are. These whisperers create quarrels. They are like wood to a fire, like charcoal on hot embers, or like kindling wood. These whisperers must be people who go around spreading rumors. Once again, almost word for word from chapter 18, the whisperer is compared to a delightful delicious morsel until you swallow it. Then it goes into the inner parts of your body and causes internal problems.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 