Key Verse Spotlight
Proverbs 10:31 - Meaning and Application
Understand how this verse speaks to what you're facing and how to apply it today
Translation: World English Bible — Catholic Edition
" The mouth of the righteous produces wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off. "
Proverbs 10:31
Verse in Context
Understanding the surrounding verses prevents misinterpretation:
29 The way of the LORD is a stronghold to the upright, but it is a destruction to the workers of iniquity.
30 The righteous will never be removed, but the wicked will not dwell in the land.
31 The mouth of the righteous produces wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
32 The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked is perverse.
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As before, people are judged by their words, and by their words they are justified or condemned (Matthew 12:37).
First, a person’s wisdom and goodness show up in wise and helpful speech. A good man uses his words to pass along wisdom for the good of others. God gives him wisdom as a reward for his righteousness (Ecclesiastes 2:26), and he is thankful for that gift and faithful to the One who gave it. So he uses it well, and his wise, godly speech strengthens many people. He knows what is acceptable, meaning what pleases God, because he cares more about pleasing God than about winning the favor of a crowd. He also knows what will fit the moment and help his hearers, and that is what he speaks.
Second, the sin and ruin of a wicked man are shown in the fact that he speaks wickedly, just like the kind of person he is. The mouth of the wicked speaks what is crooked and harmful, things that offend God and stir up those around him. And what will come of that? The crooked tongue will be cut out, just as surely as the flattering tongue will be judged (Psalm 12:3).
From This Chapter
Proverbs 10:1
"The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father; but a foolish son brings grief to his mother."
Proverbs 10:2
"Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, but righteousness delivers from death."
Proverbs 10:3
"The LORD will not allow the soul of the righteous to go hungry, but he thrusts away the desire of the wicked."
Proverbs 10:4
"He becomes poor who works with a lazy hand, but the hand of the diligent brings wealth."
Proverbs 10:5
"He who gathers in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during the harvest is a son who causes shame."
Proverbs 10:6
"Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked."
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