A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompence of a man’s hands shall be rendered unto him.
Parallel translations
- WEB A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth. The work of a man’s hands shall be rewarded to him.
- BSB By fruitful speech a man is filled with good things, and the work of his hands returns to him.
- NKJV A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth, And the recompense of a man’s hands will be rendered to him.
- NASB A person will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his words, And the deeds of a person’s hands will return to him.
- NLT Wise words bring many benefits, and hard work brings rewards.
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
A person is satisfied with good by his words, and rewarded for the work of his hands. Both our speech and our labor bring fitting returns.
Overview
The proverb teaches that wholesome words and diligent work both yield good fruit that returns to the doer. It affirms the meaningful connection between what we say and do and what we receive. This reflects God's just ordering of life and encourages faithfulness in both speech and deed.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Prov 18:20–21A man’s belly shall be satisfied with the fruit of his mouth; and with the increase of his lips shall he be filled.
- Isa 3:10–11Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
- Prov 13:2A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence.
- Ps 63:5My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
- Prov 15:23A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!
- Matt 10:41–42He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.
- 2 Th 1:6–7Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;
- Matt 16:27For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
- Heb 11:26Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
- Heb 2:2For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;
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 12:14 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.