He who loves purity of heart and speaks gracefully is the king’s friend.
Parallel translations
- KJV He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.
- BSB He who loves a pure heart and gracious lips will have the king for a friend.
- NKJV He who loves purity of heart And has grace on his lips, The king will be his friend.
- NASB One who loves purity of heart And whose speech is gracious, the king is his friend.
- NLT Whoever loves a pure heart and gracious speech will have the king as a friend.
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
One who loves a pure heart and gracious speech gains the king's friendship. It matters because inner purity and kind words win favor.
Overview
Purity of heart combined with gracious speech earns the regard even of rulers (Proverbs 16:13; Psalm 24:3-4). The verse links inward integrity with outward grace in words. Such qualities, gifts of God's renewing work, commend a person before others and before the King of kings.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Prov 16:13Righteous lips are the delight of kings. They value one who speaks the truth.
- Matt 5:8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
- Ps 101:6My eyes will be on the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me. He who walks in a perfect way, he will serve me.
- Prov 14:35The king’s favor is toward a servant who deals wisely, but his wrath is toward one who causes shame.
- Ps 45:2You are the most excellent of the sons of men. Grace has anointed your lips, therefore God has blessed you forever.
- Dan 6:20–23When he came near to the den to Daniel, he cried with a lamentable voice; the king spoke and said to Daniel, Daniel, servant of the living God, is your God, whom you serve continually, able to deliver you from the lions?
- Ezra 7:6–11this Ezra went up from Babylon. He was a skilled scribe in the law of Moses, which Yahweh, the God of Israel, had given; and the king granted him all his request, according to Yahweh his God’s hand on him.
- Dan 2:46–49Then the king Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, and worshiped Daniel, and commanded that they should offer an offering and sweet odors to him.
- Neh 2:4–6Then the king said to me, “What is your request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven.
- Luke 4:22All testified about him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth, and they said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”
- Dan 3:30Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
- Esth 10:3For Mordecai the Jew was next to King Ahasuerus, and great among the Jews, and accepted by the multitude of his brothers, seeking the good of his people, and speaking peace to all his descendants.
- Gen 41:39–57Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Because God has shown you all of this, there is no one so discreet and wise as you.
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 22:11 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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