A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
Parallel translations
- WEB A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
- BSB A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
- ESV A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
- NKJV A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.
- NASB A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.
- NLT A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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 gentle answer defuses wrath, but a harsh word inflames it. Our words can either calm or kindle conflict.
Overview
This beloved proverb teaches the power of speech to shape outcomes: soft, gracious words turn away anger, while harsh ones provoke it. It commends gentleness as a means of peacemaking and self-control. Believers are called to let their speech be gracious, seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6), reflecting the gentleness of Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Prov 10:12Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.
- Prov 25:15By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.
- Prov 15:18A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.
- Prov 29:22An angry man stirreth up strife, and a furious man aboundeth in transgression.
- Prov 28:25He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat.
- Judg 8:1–3And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply.
- 1 Sam 25:10–13And Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master.
- 1 Kgs 12:13–16And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men’s counsel that they gave him;
- Judg 12:3–6And when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put my life in my hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?
- 1 Sam 25:21–33Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good.
- 2 Sam 19:43And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, We have ten parts in the king, and we have also more right in David than ye: why then did ye despise us, that our advice should not be first had in bringing back our king? And the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.
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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 15:1 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.