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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 the backbone of the lyrics you have presented. They address an area of life that most Christians underestimate: the power of our words and the condition of our heart that produces those words.
The theme is simple, but profound:
The book of Proverbs is God’s training manual for practical wisdom. These particular verses reveal a divine pattern: wisdom in the heart produces disciplined speech; disciplined speech produces peace and divine order. This is not merely a social skill; it is a spiritual issue with serious consequences.
Let us look at what the Word of God says, and see how this song echoes and enforces that truth.
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Both of these verses come from the book of Proverbs, which is primarily associated with Solomon, son of David, king of Israel. Solomon was given a unique promise from 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
Proverbs is not merely human advice. It is Spirit-inspired wisdom from a man whom God specially endowed with supernatural understanding.
### The Setting of Proverbs
### The Context of Proverbs 16
Proverbs 16 is filled with statements about:
> “The heart of the wise instructs his mouth,
> and adds learning to his lips.”
Proverbs 16 repeatedly shows that what a person says is not random. It is the outflow of inner formation. A wise heart trains the tongue.
### The Context of Proverbs 15
Proverbs 15 contrasts the righteous and the wicked, the wise and the foolish, especially in their speech:
At the very start of the chapter, we read:
> “A gentle answer turns away wrath,
> but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
Solomon is addressing conflict—a reality in every home, congregation, workplace, and nation. God is giving us a spiritual law: the tone of your reply can redirect the spirit of the situation. Your words are not neutral. They either turn away wrath or stir up anger.
So we have:
The lyrics of the song simply repeat and reinforce these divine principles.
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Let us look at two key Hebrew words that sharpen our understanding:
1. The word “wise” (חָכָם – *chakam*).
2. The phrase “gentle answer” (מַעֲנֶה־רַךְ – *ma‘aneh rakh*).
### 1. “Wise” – חָכָם (*chakam*)
“The heart of the wise instructs his mouth…” (Proverbs 16:23)
The word *chakam* does not refer to mere intelligence or education. It describes:
So a wise heart is not simply one that knows doctrine. It is a heart that has learned to apply truth in real situations—including how to speak under pressure, how to respond in conflict, how to use words in a way that aligns with God’s character.
### 2. “A gentle answer” – מַעֲנֶה־רַךְ (*ma‘aneh rakh*)
“A gentle answer turns away wrath…” (Proverbs 15:1)
So the phrase does not modify the volume of the answer only, but its nature:
The contrast word “harsh” (עֶצֶב / עָצֶב in derivation) implies pain, grief, or things that cause hurt. So we could paraphrase:
This is more than social wisdom. It is spiritual law: the spirit behind your words affects the spirit of the other person and the spiritual climate of the situation.
The song, by repeating these lines, is not giving us nice poetry. It is calling us to submit our speech to the wisdom of God.
---
Now let us walk through the themes of the lyrics and connect them to broader biblical revelation.
### A. “The heart of the wise instructs his mouth, and adds learning to his lips.”
The lyrics open with this line, directly quoting Proverbs 16:23. The entire focus is on the relationship between the heart, the mouth, and wisdom.
#### 1. The Heart Governs the Mouth
Jesus states this same principle:
> “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.”
> — Matthew 12:34
According to Scripture:
You do not primarily have a speech problem. You have a heart problem.
If your words are sharp, bitter, critical, unclean, deceptive—Scripture says that is an overflow of the heart.
This is why Proverbs speaks of the heart of the wise. It is not only the tongue being instructed; it is the inner life that has been brought under the discipline of the fear of the Lord.
#### 2. The Wise Heart “Instructs” the Mouth
The phrase “instructs his mouth” (*yaskil piv*) implies:
This is the opposite of the flesh, which says:
“I say what I think. I speak my mind. I don’t hold back.”
Scripture teaches restraint:
> “He who guards his mouth and his tongue,
> guards his soul from troubles.”
> — Proverbs 21:23
A wise heart puts a guard on the lips.
#### 3. “Adds Learning to His Lips”
This means the wise person is always growing in what and how he speaks.
Paul echoes this in the New Testament:
> “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”
> — Colossians 4:6
Notice: “so that you will know how you should respond.” That is learned. It is wisdom. It is what Proverbs calls “adding learning to his lips.”
The song’s repetition of this line presses a question:
Is my heart instructing my mouth in God’s wisdom, or is my mouth exposing a heart that is still undisciplined, carnal, and unrenewed?
---
### B. “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.”
This line is also repeated, emphasizing God’s spiritual law regarding conflict.
#### 1. Words in Conflict Are Not Neutral
In moments of tension or hostility, your words will do one of two things:
There is no neutral ground.
Wrath here is not just human emotion. Wrath and anger open the door to demonic activity:
> “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
An uncontrolled tongue in conflict creates spiritual ground for Satan.
A gentle answer, on the other hand, removes ground from him.
#### 2. Gentle Answer: A Weapon of Spiritual Warfare
Many think spiritual warfare is only about loud prayers, rebuking demons, or breaking curses. But Scripture presents gentle speech in conflict as a very real instrument of spiritual victory:
A wise believer recognizes that in any argument or confrontation, the real issue is not just winning the point. It is:
A gentle answer is not weakness. It is strength under control, governed by the fear of the Lord.
#### 3. Harsh Words: Fuel for the Fire
“But a harsh word stirs up anger.”
James gives a severe warning:
> “And 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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