The heart of the righteous studieth to answer: but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things.
Parallel translations
- WEB The heart of the righteous weighs answers, but the mouth of the wicked gushes out evil.
- BSB The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked blurts out evil.
- NKJV The heart of the righteous studies how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.
- NASB The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.
- NLT The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking; the mouth of the wicked overflows with evil words.
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 think carefully before speaking, but the wicked pour out evil thoughtlessly. It matters because measured, considered speech distinguishes the wise and godly.
Overview
This proverb contrasts the deliberate heart of the righteous, who weighs answers, with the wicked mouth that gushes out evil. Wise speech flows from a heart submitted to God and reflects before it responds. It echoes James's call to be quick to hear and slow to speak (James 1:19).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- 1 Pet 3:15But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:
- Prov 29:11A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.
- Eccl 5:2Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
- Jas 3:6–8And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
- Prov 16:23The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.
- Prov 15:2The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.
- Matt 12:34O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
- Eccl 5:6Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?
- Eccl 10:12–14The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.
- Prov 29:20Seest thou a man that is hasty in his words? there is more hope of a fool than of him.
- Prov 10:19In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.
- Prov 13:16Every prudent man dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open his folly.
- 1 Kgs 3:23–28Then said the king, The one saith, This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead: and the other saith, Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.
- Titus 1:10–11For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:
- 2 Pet 2:18For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.
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 15:28 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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