Proverbs 13:2-4 (ESV Strong's)
From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good,
but the desire of the treacherous is for violence.
Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life;
he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.
The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
Tag: Satisfaction Comes From Craving God
The key words in the above passage is the Hebrew word, “nepes.” The word is translated many different ways. It simply means “breath” or “breathing creature.” Notice how different it is translated:
AV (753) - soul 475, life 117, person 29, mind 15, heart 15, creature 9, body 8.
In the above passages it is used four times and translated as “desire,” “life,” and twice as “soul.” The same word is also found in the following verses in this chapter:
Proverbs 13:8 (ESV Strong's)
The ransom of a man's “life” is his wealth,
but a poor man hears no threat.
Proverbs 13:19 (ESV Strong's)
A desire fulfilled is sweet to the “soul,”
but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.
Proverbs 13:25 (ESV Strong's)
The righteous has enough to satisfy his “appetite,”
but the belly of the wicked suffers want.
In each of these verses we see the common theme is that wisdom is a great for someone’s life and desirable. In the top verses from this chapter we read that the “words of a man’s mouth works for him.” What Solomon is telling us is that favorable speech produces something beneficial. However, it goes on to read that the sluggard does not benefit them. Those who make excuses with their mouth will not benefit. The sluggard only talks and makes excuses for why not to be industrious. But, if we “guard our mouths” and watch what we say we can gain vs the one who simply opens their mouth with no discrimination. The key in all these thoughts is that the mouth is a gateway for the heart. So, when we hear what people say we get a glimpse of their hearts. Wisdom in the heart is demonstrated by discretion on the lips.
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