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“The heart of the wise instructs his mouth,
and adds learning to his lips.”
— Proverbs 16:23
“A gentle answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
— Proverbs 15:1
These two verses form a divine pattern for the use of our tongue. They reveal that the quality of our words is not accidental. Our speech is a direct expression of the state of our heart. Many believers seek power, anointing, and spiritual authority, but remain bound, frustrated, or ineffective because they have never brought their tongue under the discipline of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God.
The lyrics you have given simply repeat these two verses. That in itself is significant. The Holy Spirit is emphasizing something He wants written not only on our lips but in our hearts. The tongue is small, but it is decisive. According to Scripture, life and death, peace and anger, wisdom and folly, are all released or restrained by our words.
“Let us look at what the Word of God says.” These two proverbs teach us that:
1. The wise heart trains the mouth.
2. The right kind of answer can turn away wrath.
3. The wrong kind of word actively stirs up anger.
We are not dealing here with mere “social skills” or “good manners.” We are dealing with spiritual laws: forces that operate predictably, for blessing or for destruction, through the words that proceed from our mouths.
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Both verses come from the book of Proverbs, largely attributed to Solomon, king of Israel. Solomon was granted exceptional wisdom by God:
> “Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, so that there has been no one like you before you, nor shall one like you arise after you.”
> — 1 Kings 3:12
Solomon wrote in a real context: as a ruler, a judge, a father, and a teacher of God’s covenant people. He was not writing abstract philosophy. He was dealing with disputes, conflicts, foolish talk, slander, and the daily realities of governing a nation.
### The context of Proverbs 16
Proverbs 16 is a chapter that emphasizes God’s sovereignty over man’s plans and ways, and repeatedly touches the issue of speech and inner motives:
but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.” (v. 1)
and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.” (v. 6)
sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.” (v. 24)
So when Solomon writes, “The heart of the wise instructs his mouth,” he places speech in the framework of divine order. The person who fears God, who walks in wisdom, does not let his mouth run uncontrolled. His heart—aligned with God’s wisdom—*trains* his speech.
### The context of Proverbs 15
Proverbs 15 contrasts the wise and the foolish, the righteous and the wicked, especially in the realm of speech:
but perversion in it crushes the spirit.” (v. 4)
but he who regards reproof is sensible.” (v. 5)
but the hearts of fools are not so.” (v. 7)
but the mouth of fools spouts folly.” (v. 2)
Into this context comes the powerful statement:
> “A gentle answer turns away wrath,
> but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (v. 1)
Solomon is describing something he would have seen many times as a king and judge: a conflict brought before him, loaded with tension. Emotions running high, tempers flaring. In such a setting, a *single* wise, gentle answer can change the entire atmosphere. Conversely, the wrong word can inflame the situation, provoke violence, and destroy relationships.
Both verses, therefore, arise out of real life in the covenant community of God’s people. They are not suggestions; they are spiritual laws God has established for human interaction.
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To understand the depth of these verses, we need to look at two key Hebrew words:
1. “Instructs” (Proverbs 16:23)
2. “Gentle” (Proverbs 15:1)
### 3.1 “Instructs” – יַשְׂכִּיל (yaskil)
“The heart of the wise instructs his mouth…” (Proverbs 16:23)
The word translated “instructs” is from the Hebrew root שׂכל (sakal). This word means *to be prudent, to act wisely, to have insight, to cause to understand, to prosper*. It is not passive. It implies active, intelligent control and guidance.
You could translate the verse:
> “The heart of the wise *makes his mouth prudent*,
> and adds learning to his lips.”
This tells us:
In other words, a wise heart trains, disciplines, and instructs the mouth how to speak. It does not let the mouth say everything the soul feels at the moment. It brings speech under the control of God’s wisdom.
This is a vital principle for deliverance and spiritual maturity. Many believers seek God to “tame their tongue” while their heart remains unrenewed, unrepentant, and self-centered. But the Scripture says: if the heart is wise, the mouth will be instructed.
### 3.2 “Gentle” – רַךְ (rakh)
“A gentle answer turns away wrath…” (Proverbs 15:1)
The Hebrew word translated “gentle” is רַךְ (rakh). Its basic meaning is *soft, tender, delicate, mild*. It is used, for example, of tender grass (2 Samuel 23:4), of a tender heart (2 Kings 22:19), and of young or weak persons (Genesis 33:13).
A “gentle answer” is not:
Rather, it is an answer that is *soft in tone, tender in intention, and mild in spirit*, but still aligned with truth and righteousness.
So we could say:
> “A soft, tender, mild answer turns away wrath…”
The contrast is with the “harsh word” that “stirs up anger.” The Hebrew for “harsh” is עֶצֶב (etsev) or a related word form meaning *painful, grievous, hurtful, provoking*. Such words pierce, wound, and inflame.
This deepens our understanding of the lyrics:
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Let us now take the lines of the lyrics and unfold them in the light of Scripture.
### 4.1 “The heart of the wise instructs his mouth”
This line addresses the source of speech: the heart.
Jesus says:
> “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.”
> — Matthew 12:34
This is an unchangeable law. You cannot permanently separate your words from your inner life. The heart is like a reservoir; the mouth is the outlet. When pressure comes, whatever fills the reservoir comes out.
So when Proverbs says, “The heart of the wise instructs his mouth,” it implies:
1. The heart has first received wisdom.
2. That inner wisdom then shapes and governs outward speech.
Compare with James:
> “If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.”
> — James 3:2
Perfect here means *mature, fully developed*. James is saying: mastery over the tongue is the mark of spiritual maturity. And Proverbs tells us how that mastery is achieved: by a heart trained in wisdom.
Notice also the order in Proverbs 2:
> “For the Lord gives wisdom;
> from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.
> He stores up sound wisdom for the upright.”
> — Proverbs 2:6–7
God’s wisdom comes first from *His* mouth to *our* heart through His Word. Then a wise heart trains *our* mouth. Scripture enters, wisdom is formed, and speech is transformed.
This has implications for spiritual warfare. Many believers are defeated not primarily by demons from the outside, but by their own tongues from the inside. They cancel God’s blessings, undermine their own prayers, and open doors to oppression through foolish, bitter, or angry words. A wise heart closes those doors by training the mouth to align with God’s Word.
### 4.2 “And adds learning to his lips”
The heart of the wise not only restrains wrong speech; it adds learning to the lips. The Hebrew for “learning” here carries the sense of *instruction, teaching, sound doctrine.*
Two truths emerge:
1. Wise speech is not empty or casual. It communicates instruction.
2. The lips can be a channel of God’s teaching to others.
Consider Proverbs 10:21:
> “The lips of the righteous feed many,
> but fools die for lack of understanding.”
This is a ministry of the mouth. The wise believer’s words “feed” others with truth, comfort, guidance, and correction.
Compare also Colossians 4:6:
> “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”
The wise heart, full of the Word of God, gives the believer discernment to “know how” to respond “to each person.” That is precisely what Proverbs is describing: wisdom in the heart adding learning, instruction, and discernment to the lips.
There is also a warning: you cannot add what you do not possess. If your heart is not filled with the knowledge of God, your lips cannot dispense it. If you feed yourself continually on worldly talk, gossip, entertainment, and social media, your heart will be malnourished in wisdom. The result: your lips will be empty of “learning.”
### 4.3 “A gentle answer turns away wrath”
This statement reveals a spiritual law of de-escalation.
Wrath here speaks of intense anger, boiling emotion, the kind that often leads to sin (cf. Ephesians 4:26). The normal human reaction to wrath is equal or greater wrath in return. Flesh answers flesh. Pride answers pride. One sharp remark triggers another, and a chain reaction begins.
But Scripture reveals a different weapon: a *gentle answer*.
James says:
> “The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.”
> — James 3:17
That word “gentle” in James expresses the same spirit as “gentle” (rakh) in Proverbs 15:1—mild, considerate, not harsh, not abrasive. This wisdom gives us a kind of answer that *diffuses* the explosive emotion in the other person. It is not weakness. It is a higher strength—self-control under the rule of the Holy Spirit.
A gentle answer:
This is spiritual warfare at the level of relationships. Satan loves wrath, strife, and division. He gains footholds through anger:
> “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.”
> — Ephesians 4:26–27
The Greek word for “opportunity” is *topos*—a place, a foothold. Unresolved anger gives Satan a place. But a gentle answer can turn away wrath and close that door.
Jesus Himself modeled this. When reviled, He did not revile in return (1 Peter 2:23). When confronted with hostility, He often answered with questions, parables, or quiet statements that exposed hearts without entering into fleshly argument.
### 4.4 “But a harsh word stirs up anger”
Note the contrast: the gentle answer turns away; the harsh word stirs up.
The Hebrew picture is like stirring up sediment at the bottom of water. Anger may be present in low degree, but the harsh word agitates it, brings it to the surface, and intensifies it.
Harsh words include:
Remember, the devil is called “the accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10). When we give way to harsh, accusatory speech, we are aligning with his nature, not God’s.
James issues a very strict warning:
> “The tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our
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