Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 12:18
There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise [is] health.
18. speaketh ] Rather, speaketh rashly, R.V.; scattereth thoughtless words, as one might recklessly brandish a naked sword.
“Many a word at random spoken
May wound a heart that’s broken.”
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Pro 12:18
The tongue of the wise is health.
Healthy and unhealthy speech
Some men pride themselves on the pungency of their speech. They delight in sharp answers, keen retorts, quick repartees, and boast themselves when they cut their opponents in two. There are others who are gifted in the expression of complaint, reproach, and criticism against the whole providence of life. They can say sharp and bitter things about God and man, and they can be satisfied because of the edge of their own epigram, no matter against whom or against what that edge is directed. The tongue of the wise man is slower, but healthier; the wise man weighs his words: he is anxious to be associated only with judgments that can be confirmed by experience and illustrated by wisdom. The wise man speaks healthily–that is to say, he speaks out of the abundance of his own health, and he speaks in a way that will double and strengthen the health of others. To come near him is to ascend a mountain and breathe the freshest air of heaven, or to go down by the seashore and receive messages across the great deeps, full of vigour, and truth, and strengthening influence. Wise men keep society healthy. But for their presence it would stagnate, and go from one degree of corruption to another until it became wholly pestilential. There are two speakers in the text, to the end of time there will probably be two speakers in the world–the critical speaker and the judicial speaker; the man all sharpness and the man all thankfulness. The business of Christian discipline is to tame the tongue, to chasten it, to teach it the speech of wisdom, and to instruct it as to the right time of utterance and the right time of silence. (J. Parker, D.D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 18. There is that speaketh] Instead of boteh, blabbing out, blustering, several MSS. have boteach, TRUSTING: and instead of kemadkeroth, AS the piercings, seven MSS., with the Complutensian Polyglot, have bemadkeroth, IN the piercings. “There is that trusteth in the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.” But I suppose the former to be the true reading.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Speaketh like the piercings of a sword, hurtful and pernicious words, whereby they either corrupt mens minds and manners, or scandalize them, or injure them in their reputation, estate, or life, or otherwise.
The tongue of the wise is health; his speech, both in judgment and in common discourse, is sound and wholesome in itself, and tending to the comfort and benefit of others.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
18. speakethliterally,”speaketh hastily,” or indiscreetly (Ps106:33), as an angry man retorts harsh and provoking invectives.
tongue . . . healthbysoothing and gentle language.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword,…. Whose words are like sharp swords, cutting, wounding, dividing, killing; see Ps 57:4; such are the words of false witnesses, who by their false testimonies and perjuries are as guilty of the murder of men as cutthroats; such are the words of slanderers, backbiters, and talebearers, who grieve the innocent, wound their characters, destroy their good name and credit, and separate chief friends; and such are the words of antichrist, who looks like a lamb, but speaks like a dragon, Re 13:11;
but the tongue of the wise [is] health; or “healing” e; by giving a faithful testimony which sets matters right; by clearing and defending the character of those who are falsely accused and wrongfully charged; by making up differences, and reconciling persons at variance through the detracting and lying insinuations of others; and by speaking comfortable, cheerful, and refreshing words to the injured and abused; especially the tongue of a wise minister of the Gospel is health, or healing, to wounded souls, to whom he ministers the Gospel of the grace of God, which directs to Christ for healing, peace, pardon, righteousness, and eternal life.
e “medicinae”, Junius Tremellius “medicina”, Piscator, Cocceius; “sanatio”, Michaelis; “sanatrix”, Schultens.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
18 There is that babbleth like the thrusts of a sword,
But the tongue of the wise is healing.
The second (cf. Pro 11:24) of the proverbs beginning with . The verb ( ), peculiar to the Hebr., which in the modern Hebr. generally means “to speak out” ( in the grammar: the pronunciation) (according to which the lxx, Syr., and Targ. translate it by ), means in biblical Hebr., especially with reference to the binding of oneself by an oath (Lev 5:4), and to solemn protestations (Num 30:7, Num 30:9, according to which Jerome, promittit ): to utter incautiously in words, to speak without thought and at random, referred erroneously by Gesenius to the R. , to be hollow, probably a word imitative of the sound, like the Greek , to stammer, and , to babble, which the lexicographers refer to a talkative person of the name of , as our “ salbadern ” [= to talk foolishly] owes its origin to one Jenaer Bader on the Saal. Theod. and the Graec. Venet. give the false reading ( ). stands loco accusativi, the being regarded as a noun: ( effutiens verba ) quae sunt instar confossionum gladii (Fl.). We also call such a man, who bridles his loquacity neither by reflection nor moderates it by indulgent reference to his fellow-men, a Schwertmaul (sword-mouth) or a Schandmaul (a mouth of shame = slanderer), and say that he has a tongue like a sword. But on the other hand, the tongue of the wise, which is in itself pure gentleness and a comfort to others, since, far from wounding, rather, by means of comforting, supporting, directing exhortation, exercises a soothing an calming influence. Regarding , whence , Dietrich in Gesenius’ Lex. is right. The root-meaning of the verb (cognate , to be loose, Hiph. to let go, Hithpa. Pro 18:9, to show oneself slothful) is, as the Arab. kindred word rafa , rafa , raf , rawf ( raf ) shows, that of stilling, softening, soothing, whence arises the meaning of healing (for which the Arab. has tabb and ‘alkh ); the meaning to repair, to mend, which the Arab. rafa and rafa have, does not stand in a prior relation to to heal, as might appear from Job 13:4, but is a specializing of the general idea of reficere lying in mitigare , just as the patcher is called = ,
(Note: Whether , explained neither by Curtius nor by Flick, stands in a relation to it, we leave out of view.)
from , which means equally to still and to heal. Since thus in the meanings of mitigating and of healing are involved, it is plain that , as it means healing (the remedy) and at the same time (cf. , Rev 22:2) the preservation of health, Pro 4:22; Pro 6:15; Pro 16:24; Pro 29:1, so also may mean mildness (here and Pro 15:4), tranquillity (Pro 14:30; Ecc 10:4, calm patience in contrast to violent passion), and refreshing (Pro 13:17). Oetinger and Hitzig translate here “medicine;” our translation, “healing (the means of healing),” is not essentially different from it.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
18 There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.
The tongue is death or life, poison or medicine, as it is used. 1. There are words that are cutting and killing, that are like the piercings of a sword. Opprobrious words grieve the spirits of those to whom they are spoken, and cut them to the heart. Slanders, like a sword, wound the reputation of those of whom they are uttered, and perhaps incurably. Whisperings and evil surmises, like a sword, divide and cut asunder the bounds of love and friendship, and separate those that have been dearest to each other. 2. There are words that are curing and healing: The tongue of the wise is health, closing up those wounds which the backbiting tongue had given, making all whole again, restoring peace, and accommodating matters in variance and persuading to reconciliation. Wisdom will find out proper remedies against the mischiefs that are made by detraction and evil-speaking.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
(18) There is that speaketh.Rather, that babbleth, like the piercing of a sword, that chatters on, not noticing or caring how he may wound the feelings of others by his inconsiderate remarks.
The tongue of the wise is health.Or, healing; soothing the wounds made by the others indiscriminate chatter.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
18. There is that speaketh Prates or babbles.
Piercings of a sword Like knife-thrusts. His words are daggers.
But the tongue of the wise is health Or healing; heals the wounds made by the idle and malicious babblers. Compare Psa 57:4; Psa 59:7.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
v. 18. There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Pro 12:18 There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise [is] health.
Ver. 18. There is that speaketh lies like the piercings of a sword. ] False witnesses do so, with a witness. As Doeg, Psa 52:2 and his fellow hacksters with their murdering weapons in David’s bones, Psa 42:10 whereby they killed him alive, and buried him in their throats, those gaping graves, open sepulchres. Abimelech and his fellow priests were killed with the tongue, as with a tuck or rapier; so was Naboth and his sons; so was our Saviour Christ himself. Reckon thou Shimei and Rabshakeh among the first and chiefest kill Christs, Act 2:23 ; Act 3:15 saith one, because ever an honest mind is more afflicted with words than blows. You shall find some, saith Erasmus, that if death be threatened, can despise it; but to be belied they cannot brook, nor from revenge contain themselves. How was David enraged by Nabal’s railings! Moses, by the people’s murmurings! Jeremiah, by the derisions of the rude rabble. Jer 20:7-8
But the tongue of the wise is health.
a Speed, Camden.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
like the piercings, &c. Illustrations: Saul (1Sa 20:30; and Pro 18:21. Compare Psa 57:4, and Pro 16:27); Doeg (1Sa 22:9-19); Jews (Joh 8:48); Jeremiah (Lam 3:14. Heb 11:36).
piercings = stabs. Occurs only here.
tongue. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Cause), App-6, for what is spoken by it.
is health. Illustrations: Jethro (Exo 18:17-26); Abigail (1Sa 25:24-33); the woman (2Sa 20:16); Stephen (Act 7:59. Compare Pro 22:20).
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Pro 12:18
Pro 12:18
“There is that speaketh rashly like the piercings of a sword; But the tongue of the wise is health.”
Toy’s rendition is: “Some men’s chatter is like sword-thrusts, but the tongue of the wise is healing.”
Pro 12:18. A double contrast: Speaketh rashly vs. tongue of the wise and like the piercings of a sword vs. health. Rashness is always opposed to reason, for in rashness one speaks or acts before he thinks or beyond his thinking. Such a tongue can be like a destructive, cutting sword (Psa 59:7; Psa 64:3). Who hasnt sometime been cut (even cut down) by the thoughtless words of others? And yet speech can perk one up (Pro 12:25), actually build one up. Edify means to build up, and speech can be edifying (Eph 4:29).
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
that: Pro 25:18, Psa 52:2, Psa 57:4, Psa 59:7, Psa 64:3, Jam 3:6-8
like: Compare, Rev 1:16
but: Pro 10:20, Pro 10:21, Pro 13:17, Pro 15:7, Pro 16:24, Dan 11:33, Rev 22:2
Reciprocal: Gen 34:13 – deceitfully Job 4:4 – upholden Job 5:21 – be hid Job 6:25 – forcible Job 19:2 – break me Psa 42:10 – As with Psa 55:21 – The words Psa 140:3 – sharpened Pro 4:22 – health Pro 10:32 – but Pro 12:25 – but Pro 15:4 – A wholesome Pro 18:8 – words Pro 30:14 – whose Pro 31:26 – in her Ecc 10:12 – words Luk 6:45 – good man Joh 8:7 – and said Rom 6:13 – and your Jam 3:5 – so
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Pro 12:18-19. There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword Words that are cutting and killing; opprobrious words, which grieve the spirits of those to whom they are spoken, and cut them to the heart; or slanders, which wound the reputation of those of whom they are uttered, and perhaps incurably; or whisperings and evil surmisings, which divide and cut asunder the bonds of love and friendship, and separate those that have been very dear to each other; but the tongue of the wise is health His speech, both in judgment and in common discourse, is sound and wholesome in itself, and tends to the comfort and benefit of others, closing up those wounds which the backbiting tongue had made, restoring peace, accommodating matters, and persuading persons at variance to a reconciliation. The lip of truth shall be established, &c. The speaker of truth is constant, and always consistent with himself, and the more and longer his words are tried, the more doth the truth of them appear; whereas liars, though they may make a fair show for a time, yet are easily and quickly convicted of falsehood. Truth may indeed be eclipsed for a little while, but it will come to light: it is great, and will prevail. Those, therefore, that make a lie their refuge, says Henry, will find it a refuge of lies. Houbigant translates this verse, Perpetuity is in the lip of truth: the tongue of falsehood is for a point of time.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
12:18 There is that speaketh like the piercings of {i} a sword: but the tongue of the wise [is] health.
(i) Which seek nothing more then to provoke others to anger.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Thoughtless or critical speech can wound others. Transparent sharing can wound the speaker. Transparent sharing is good, but we must practice it wisely. [Note: See my comments on 10:19.] Wise people do not cause harm by their reckless talk.
"The sage is not primarily interested in winning debates, and he avoids speech which creates bitterness and erects barriers between himself and others." [Note: McKane, p. 446.]