Limitless Word
The lips of the wise disperse knowledge: but the heart of the foolish doeth not so.
Proverbs 15:7 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so with the heart of fools.
  • BSB The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but not so the hearts of fools.
  • NKJV The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, But the heart of the fool does not do so.
  • NASB The lips of the wise spread knowledge, But the hearts of fools are not so.
  • NLT The lips of the wise give good advice; the heart of a fool has none to give.

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 wise spread knowledge with their lips, but the hearts of fools do not. Wisdom is shared; folly is barren.

Overview

The lips of the wise scatter knowledge like seed for the benefit of others, while fools have no such heart to give. The proverb again connects the inner heart to the words it produces. It commends the wise as those who enrich others, reflecting the generosity of true wisdom that comes from God.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 19

  • 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.
  • Eph 4:29Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
  • Jas 3:6And 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 10:20–21The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.
  • Ps 37:30The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment.
  • Ps 45:2Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever.
  • Ps 119:13With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.
  • Ps 78:2–6I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old:
  • Matt 10:27What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
  • Acts 18:9–10Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace:
  • Mark 16:15And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
  • Matt 28:18–20And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
  • Ps 71:15–18My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof.
  • Rom 15:18–21For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed,
  • Eccl 12:9–10And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
  • Rom 10:14–17How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
  • Ps 51:13–15Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
  • Song 4:11Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb: honey and milk are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon.
  • 2 Tim 2:2And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Proverbs videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Proverbs 15:7YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ProverbsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 15:7 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.