Bible Strands
Proverbs 16:23
The heart of the wise man instructs his mouth and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The writer of Proverbs addresses a general audience within a wisdom collection, placing this verse between a warning about foolish discipline and a description of healing speech.
The words — חָ֭כָם (chacham) means a wise person, and לֶֽקַח (leqach) denotes teaching or persuasive instruction.
The thread — The connection between inner disposition and spoken output runs through Proverbs 15:28, Matthew 12:34, and Proverbs 22:17.
Why it lands — The text states that a wise person’s inner life directs their speech and gives it persuasive weight, requiring readers to treat their thoughts as the governing mechanism for what they say.
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
The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth, and addeth learning to his lips.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 15:28 The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked blurts out evil.
- Matthew 12:34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.
- Proverbs 22:17 Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise—apply your mind to my knowledge—
- Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.
- Psalms 37:30 The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.
- Psalms 45:1 For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Lilies.” A Maskil of the sons of Korah. A love song. My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses to the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer.