The righteous know how to speak what is fitting, while the wicked speak what is twisted.
In Proverbs 10:32, Solomon says, The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked what is perverted (v. 32). This closing proverb summarizes much of the chapter’s emphasis on speech. The words a person produces reveal the kind of life he is living.
The righteous bring forth what is acceptable. Their words are fitting, timely, and in harmony with truth. They know what is proper before God and beneficial to others, and that wisdom shapes the things they say. Their speech participates in the order and goodness of God’s world.
The wicked, by contrast, bring forth what is perverted. Their words distort rather than clarify. They twist what should be straight and corrupt what should be good. Proverbs 10 ends by reminding us that speech is one of the clearest windows into the soul: wisdom produces fitting words, and wickedness produces crooked ones.
Proverbs 10:32
32 The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable,
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Proverbs 10:32 meaning
In Proverbs 10:32, Solomon says, The lips of the righteous bring forth what is acceptable, but the mouth of the wicked what is perverted (v. 32). This closing proverb summarizes much of the chapter’s emphasis on speech. The words a person produces reveal the kind of life he is living.
The righteous bring forth what is acceptable. Their words are fitting, timely, and in harmony with truth. They know what is proper before God and beneficial to others, and that wisdom shapes the things they say. Their speech participates in the order and goodness of God’s world.
The wicked, by contrast, bring forth what is perverted. Their words distort rather than clarify. They twist what should be straight and corrupt what should be good. Proverbs 10 ends by reminding us that speech is one of the clearest windows into the soul: wisdom produces fitting words, and wickedness produces crooked ones.