Bible Strands
Proverbs 13:2
From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good things, but the desire of the faithless is violence.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The passage functions as a wisdom maxim contrasting two behavioral patterns, situated between instructions on heeding parental discipline and guarding one's speech. It addresses a listener being taught to observe the practical outcomes of human speech and desire.
The words — The Hebrew פִי (pi) literally means "mouth," and חָמָס (chamas) translates to "violence."
The thread — The connection between speech and tangible results appears in Proverbs 12:14, 18:20, and 10:11.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to audit whether their words produce constructive outcomes or whether their unregulated desires drive them toward destructive acts.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the transgressors shall eat violence.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 12:14 By fruitful speech a man is filled with good things, and the work of his hands returns to him.
- Proverbs 18:20 From the fruit of his mouth a man’s belly is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied.
- Proverbs 10:11 The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
- Psalms 140:11 May no slanderer be established in the land; may calamity hunt down the man of violence.
- Proverbs 1:31 So they will eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
- Psalms 75:8 For a cup is in the hand of the LORD, full of foaming wine mixed with spices. He pours from His cup, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to the dregs.
- Proverbs 1:11 If they say, “Come along, let us lie in wait for blood, let us ambush the innocent without cause,
- Proverbs 4:17 For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.
- Habakkuk 2:8 Because you have plundered many nations, the remnant of the people will plunder you—because of your bloodshed against man and your violence against the land, the city, and all their dwellers.
- Habakkuk 2:17 For your violence against Lebanon will overwhelm you, and the destruction of animals will terrify you, because of your bloodshed against men and your violence against the land, the city, and all their dwellers.