The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out.
Parallel translations
- WEB The mouth of the righteous produces wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
- KJV The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out.
- NKJV The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, But the perverse tongue will be cut out.
- NASB The mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom, But the perverted tongue will be cut out.
- NLT The mouth of the godly person gives wise advice, but the tongue that deceives will be cut off.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The righteous speak wisdom, but the deceitful tongue will be silenced. What flows from the mouth reveals the heart and meets a fitting end.
Overview
The contrast is between speech that bears the fruit of wisdom and speech that is twisted and will be 'cut off' in judgment. Proverbs repeatedly ties our words to our character and to God's verdict on our lives. Wholesome speech is part of the new life Christ works in His people, who are called to let no corrupt word proceed from their mouths.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Ps 37:30The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.
- Prov 10:13Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of him who lacks judgment.
- Prov 10:20–21The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked has little worth.
- Ps 63:11But the king will rejoice in God; all who swear by Him will exult, for the mouths of liars will be shut.
- Ps 120:3–4What will He do to you, and what will be added to you, O deceitful tongue?
- Ps 31:18May lying lips be silenced—lips that speak with arrogance against the righteous, full of pride and contempt.
- Prov 10:11The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 10:31 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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