What does Proverbs 6:14 mean?

A worthless, wicked person has been described as one who is deceptive and corrupt, like the person who subtly signals to accomplices while he lies (Proverbs 6:12–13). Here, that same evil person is condemned for plotting to commit sin. The effect of such a person's actions are disunity and strife.

Such thoughts and actions illustrate what Jeremiah 17:9 says: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick." When the heart loves wickedness and self-interest instead of God, it creates conflict and stirs up angry arguments between people.

The apostle John identified a man named Diotrephes as a sower of discord. In 3 John 1:9–10 he writes: "I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church."

The apostle Paul also identified a person who created disunity. He writes in 2 Timothy 4:14–15, "Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm…Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message." Most churches, families, and business—if not all—have had an Alexander or Diotrephes in their midst. Such persons seem to show up out of nowhere to "sow discord." This relies on the farming idea of "sowing:" planting seeds with the goal of seeing something grow. In the case of an evil person, that seed is disruption and conflict.