One who guards his mouth and his tongue, Guards his soul from troubles.
Parallel translations
- WEB Whoever guards his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from troubles.
- KJV Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.
- BSB He who guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from distress.
- ESV Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.
- NKJV Whoever guards his mouth and tongue Keeps his soul from troubles.
- NLT Watch your tongue and keep your mouth shut, and you will stay out of trouble.
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
Guarding the mouth and tongue keeps a person out of trouble. It matters because careful, controlled speech spares much grief.
Overview
Watching one's words protects the soul from the troubles that careless or harmful speech brings (Proverbs 13:3; James 3:2-8). The tongue holds great power for harm or good. Wisdom and self-control in speech are marks of a person who fears God and loves his neighbor.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Prov 13:3He who guards his mouth guards his soul. One who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
- Prov 18:21Death and life are in the power of the tongue; those who love it will eat its fruit.
- Prov 17:27–28He who spares his words has knowledge. He who is even tempered is a man of understanding.
- Jas 1:26If anyone among you thinks himself to be religious while he doesn’t bridle his tongue, but deceives his heart, this man’s religion is worthless.
- Prov 12:13An evil man is trapped by sinfulness of lips, but the righteous shall come out of trouble.
- Prov 10:19In the multitude of words there is no lack of disobedience, but he who restrains his lips does wisely.
- Jas 3:2–13For in many things we all stumble. If anyone doesn’t stumble in word, the same is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body also.
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 21:23 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.