Righteous lips are the delight of kings, And they love him who speaks what is right.
Parallel translations
- WEB Righteous lips are the delight of kings. They value one who speaks the truth.
- KJV Righteous lips are the delight of kings; and they love him that speaketh right.
- BSB Righteous lips are a king’s delight, and he who speaks honestly is beloved.
- NASB Righteous lips are the delight of kings, And one who speaks right is loved.
- NLT The king is pleased with words from righteous lips; he loves those who speak honestly.
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
Just kings delight in honest speech and value those who tell the truth. It matters because good leaders prize truthful counsel over flattery.
Overview
This proverb describes the righteous ruler's love for truthful lips and his esteem for honest speakers. Wise authority surrounds itself with truth-tellers rather than flatterers. It reflects God's own delight in truth and points to Christ, the King who is Himself the truth (John 14:6).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Prov 14:35The king’s favor is toward a servant who deals wisely, but his wrath is toward one who causes shame.
- Prov 22:11He who loves purity of heart and speaks gracefully is the king’s friend.
- Ps 101:5–7I will silence whoever secretly slanders his neighbor. I won’t tolerate one who is haughty and conceited.
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 16:13 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.