Wise speech is more precious than gold or jewels, because the kingdom is built on truth-telling people, not material wealth.
Proverbs 20:15 reorders what we count as precious: There is gold, and an abundance of jewels; but the lips of knowledge are a more precious thing (v. 15). Solomon places wise speech above material wealth.
Gold and an abundance of jewels are valuable and rare. Solomon does not deny their worth. They are the visible standard of preciousness in any age, and there is a market for them in every culture.
But the lips of knowledge are a more precious thing. A person who can speak truth and wisdom into another person's life at the right moment is rarer still and more valuable still. The verse echoes the earlier praise of wisdom in Proverbs 3:13-15 andProverbs 8:11. The kingdom does not run on jewels; it runs on the words of those who actually know what they are talking about.
Proverbs 20:15
15 There is gold, and an abundance of jewels;
But the lips of knowledge are a more precious thing.
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Proverbs 20:15 meaning
Proverbs 20:15 reorders what we count as precious: There is gold, and an abundance of jewels; but the lips of knowledge are a more precious thing (v. 15). Solomon places wise speech above material wealth.
Gold and an abundance of jewels are valuable and rare. Solomon does not deny their worth. They are the visible standard of preciousness in any age, and there is a market for them in every culture.
But the lips of knowledge are a more precious thing. A person who can speak truth and wisdom into another person's life at the right moment is rarer still and more valuable still. The verse echoes the earlier praise of wisdom in Proverbs 3:13-15 and Proverbs 8:11. The kingdom does not run on jewels; it runs on the words of those who actually know what they are talking about.