Proverbs 15:4
Context| NETBible | Speech 1 that heals 2 is like 3 a life-giving tree, 4 but a perverse tongue 5 breaks the spirit. |
| XREF | Ge 3:22-24; Ps 52:2-4; Ps 109:22; Pr 3:18; Pr 12:18; Pr 16:24; Pr 18:8,14; Pr 26:22; Mal 4:2; 1Ti 6:3; Re 2:7 |
| NET © Notes |
1 tn Heb “a tongue.” The term “tongue” is a metonymy of cause for what is produced: speech. 2 tn Heb “a tongue of healing.” A healing tongue refers to speech that is therapeutic or soothing. It is a source of vitality. 3 tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied for the sake of clarity. 4 tn Heb “tree of life.” 5 tn Heb “perversion in it.” The referent must be the tongue, so this has been supplied in the translation for clarity. A tongue that is twisted, perverse, or deceitful is a way of describing deceitful speech. Such words will crush the spirit (e.g., Isa 65:14). |
