Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageWithout wood a fire goes out, and without a gossip, conflict dies down.
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GWithout wood, a fire dies down; where there is no whisperer, strife grows quiet.
KJV
King James VersionWhere no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.
BSB
Berean Standard BibleWithout wood, a fire goes out; without gossip, a conflict ceases.
Footnotes
The *nirgan* (נִרְגָּן) is the murmurer or whisperer—not a loud slanderer but one who works quietly, dripping poison under the surface. The word may derive from a root meaning to growl or grumble under one's breath. The metaphor is thermodynamic: remove the fuel and fire cannot sustain itself. Conflict has an ecology; the *nirgan* is its oxygen. FOG uses 'whisperer' to preserve the stealth of the original; FOG Message uses 'gossip' as the nearest accessible English equivalent.
