Bible Strands
Proverbs 13:3
He who guards his mouth protects his life, but the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Wisdom instruction, likely Solomon to a young man or a general audience, in a didactic context without a specific narrative moment.
The words — נֹצֵר (no.Tzer, "guards") and פּוֹשֵׁק (po.Sek, "opens") form the antithesis: one verb implies sustained vigilance, the other a single act of release.
The thread — The same logic recurs in Proverbs 21:23 (guarding mouth and tongue keeps the soul from distress), Proverbs 18:21 (life and death in the power of the tongue), and Proverbs 18:7 (a fool's mouth is his ruin).
Why it lands — It frames speech restraint not as social courtesy but as survival: the mouth is the point where self-destruction enters.
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
He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 21:23 He who guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from distress.
- Proverbs 18:21 Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
- Proverbs 18:7 A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.
- James 3:2 We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body.
- Psalms 39:1 For the choirmaster. For Jeduthun. A Psalm of David. I said, “I will watch my ways so that I will not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth with a muzzle as long as the wicked are present.”
- Matthew 12:36 But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.
- Proverbs 10:19 When words are many, sin is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.
- Proverbs 20:19 He who reveals secrets is a constant gossip; avoid the one who babbles with his lips.
- James 1:26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless.
- Proverbs 12:13 An evil man is trapped by his rebellious speech, but a righteous man escapes from trouble.