John Gill Commentary Proverbs 17:4

"An evil-doer giveth heed to wicked lips; [And] a liar giveth ear to a mischievous tongue." — Proverbs 17:4 (ASV)

A wicked doer gives heed to false lips
A man of an ill spirit, of a mischievous disposition, who delights in doing wickedness; he carefully attends to those who speak falsehood; he listens to lies and calumnies, loves to hear ill reports of persons, and takes pleasure in spreading them to the hurt of their characters; and men of bad hearts and lives give heed to seducing spirits, to false teachers, to such as speak lies in hypocrisy, who soothe and harden them in their wickedness;

[and] a liar gives ear to a naughty tongue :
or, "to a tongue of destruction" ^F1 ; a calumniating, backbiting tongue, which destroys the good name and reputation of men; and he who is given to lying is made up of lying, or is a lie itself, as the word signifies; who roves and makes a lie, as antichrist and his followers; such a one hearkens diligently to everything that may detract from the character of those especially he bears ill will towards: or it may be better rendered, "he that hearkens to a lie [gives heed] to a naughty tongue" ^F2 ; for a lying tongue is a naughty one, evil in itself, pernicious in its effects and consequences.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F1: (twh Nwvl le) "perniciosae linguae", Tigurine version; "linguae confractionum calamitatum, injuriarum", Vatablus; "ad linguam exiliorum", Michaelis.
• F2: So Michaelis.