A Gentle Answer Turns Away Wrath
1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. 2 The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools gush out folly. 3 Yahweh’s eyes are everywhere, keeping watch on the evil and the good. 4 A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but deceit in it crushes the spirit. 5 A fool despises his father’s correction, but he who heeds reproof shows prudence. 6 In the house of the righteous is much treasure, but the income of the wicked brings trouble. 7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so with the heart of fools. 8 The sacrifice made by the wicked is an abomination to Yahweh, but the prayer of the upright is his delight. 9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to Yahweh, but he loves him who follows after righteousness. 10 There is stern discipline for one who forsakes the way. Whoever hates reproof shall die. 11 Sheol and Abaddon are before Yahweh— how much more then the hearts of the children of men! 12 A scoffer doesn’t love to be reproved; he will not go to the wise. 13 A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but an aching heart breaks the spirit. 14 The heart of one who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly. 15 All the days of the afflicted are wretched, but one who has a cheerful heart enjoys a continual feast. 16 Better is little, with the fear of Yahweh, than great treasure with trouble. 17 Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is, than a fattened calf with hatred.
The chapter opens with the most practical sentence in the book and ends by pricing a dinner.
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Everything the collection believes about speech is in that line. The answer is gentle, not weak or evasive — it can carry the same content. What changes is the manner, and the claim is that manner alone decides which direction a conversation travels. It is placed first in the chapter because it is the one saying a reader can use within the hour.
Speech continues through the run in the same key. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools gush out folly. Gushing is involuntary and unstoppable, which is the collection's usual picture of a fool talking. Then a verse about the effect of good words on a person's whole condition: A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but deceit in it crushes the spirit.
Two verses assert that God is watching, and they are placed among the sayings about ordinary conduct rather than in a separate religious section. Yahweh's eyes are everywhere, keeping watch on the evil and the good. And the more searching one: Sheol and Abaddon are before Yahweh — how much more then the hearts of the children of men! If the realm of the dead is open to him, a living man's interior is hardly a difficulty. The argument moves from the greater to the lesser and leaves no room to negotiate.
One saying concerns worship and is blunt about it. The sacrifice made by the wicked is an abomination to Yahweh, but the prayer of the upright is his delight. Sacrifice was the expensive, visible, correct thing to do. Prayer costs nothing and can be done anywhere. The collection sets them opposite each other and gives the cheap one to the upright, which is a considerable statement about what makes an offering acceptable.
The run ends with two comparisons of meals, and they are the most quoted lines in the chapter. Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is, than a fattened calf with hatred. And before it, better is little, with the fear of Yahweh, than great treasure with trouble. Both are priced comparisons rather than denunciations of wealth. The book is not saying that the calf is wrong. It is saying that the company at the table sets the value of the food. A man choosing between the two should know what he is actually choosing.
settled What this mark means