From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good things, but the desire of the faithless is violence.
Parallel translations
- WEB By the fruit of his lips, a man enjoys good things; but the unfaithful crave violence.
- KJV A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence.
- NKJV A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth, But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence.
- NASB From the fruit of a person’s mouth he enjoys good, But the desire of the treacherous is violence.
- NLT Wise words will win you a good meal, but treacherous people have an appetite for violence.
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 enjoys good from the fruit of his words, but the treacherous crave violence. Wholesome speech yields good; treachery hungers for harm.
Overview
The proverb teaches that good words bring good fruit to the speaker, while the unfaithful are driven by an appetite for violence. What we say and crave reveals and shapes us. The contrast commends life-giving speech and warns against a heart bent toward harm, calling us toward the truthful, gracious words befitting God's people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Prov 12:14By fruitful speech a man is filled with good things, and the work of his hands returns to him.
- Prov 18:20From the fruit of his mouth a man’s belly is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied.
- Prov 10:11The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
- Ps 140:11May no slanderer be established in the land; may calamity hunt down the man of violence.
- Prov 1:31So they will eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
- Ps 75:8For a cup is in the hand of the LORD, full of foaming wine mixed with spices. He pours from His cup, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to the dregs.
- Prov 1:11–13If they say, “Come along, let us lie in wait for blood, let us ambush the innocent without cause,
- Hab 2:17For your violence against Lebanon will overwhelm you, and the destruction of animals will terrify you, because of your bloodshed against men and your violence against the land, the city, and all their dwellers.
- Prov 4:17For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
- Hab 2:8Because you have plundered many nations, the remnant of the people will plunder you—because of your bloodshed against man and your violence against the land, the city, and all their dwellers.
- Rev 16:6For they have spilled the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink, as they deserve.”
- Jer 25:27–31“Then you are to tell them that this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: ‘Drink, get drunk, and vomit. Fall down and never get up again, because of the sword I will send among you.’
- Prov 1:18But they lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush their own lives.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 13:2 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.