When Love & Hatred Keep Silent
The paradoxical antithesis in Proverbs 10
The following is a guest post from , who writes at
.One of the most fascinating things about wisdom literature is how it holds tensions, truths that seem to pull in opposite directions but together reveal a fuller picture. Sometimes we call this a paradoxical antithesis. You have heard the phrase, “Less is more.” It sounds contradictory until you realize it teaches a deeper truth about simplicity and abundance. The book of Proverbs is full of these paradoxes, especially around how we handle offenses and speech.
Take Proverbs 10:12, for example, which says, “Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all offenses.” Then, just a few verses later in Proverbs 10:18-19, we read: “The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool. When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.”
At first glance, this seems confusing. Love is called to cover offenses—conceal them in a way that protects and heals. But hatred that is concealed is deception, lying lips, and foolishness. How can concealing sometimes be a virtue and other times a vice?
When Hatred Conceals vs When Love Conceals
Our natural reaction when offended usually falls into two camps: love or hatred. Proverbs 17:9 adds to this tension: “Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.” Covering offenses is an act of love. It chooses mercy and peace. But covering hatred is hiding poison; it festers and damages from within.
This paradox extends beyond Proverbs. In 1 Peter 4:8, we read: “Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.” Love does not ignore sin; it chooses to bear the burden of offense patiently and generously. Similarly, 1 Corinthians 13:7 tells us that love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” The word bears here can also be understood as covers or protects.
Further, James 5:20 reminds us of the power of restoration: “Let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” Restoration is love in action, covering sins not with silence alone but with courageous, redemptive intervention.
Hanlon’s Razor: An Ancient Wisdom for Offense
This dynamic brings to mind Hanlon’s Razor, the principle that we should “never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence.” While often attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte, the exact origin of this wisdom is unclear. Robert Greene, a 16th-century writer, advised not to assume ill will when ignorance is more probable, capturing the same spirit centuries earlier. This principle reminds us to give others the benefit of the doubt. Often what looks like offense is not ill will but error or weakness. Love requires us to assume the best in another.
When Love Speaks Up and Hatred Keeps Silent
But love does not always keep silent. Proverbs 27:5-6 provides balance: “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” Love sometimes speaks truth boldly—even when it hurts—because it desires restoration, not destruction.
On the other hand, hatred often keeps silent—festered bitterness, secret slander, or whispered gossip. Proverbs condemns this as folly and destruction. Silence that conceals hatred is not peace; it is a poison slowly killing relationships.
 | A guest post by
|