Proverbs 31:26

She opens her mouth ¹  with wisdom, and loving instruction ²  is on her tongue.

She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

She opens her mouth in wisdom, And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

When she speaks, her words are wise, and kindness is the rule when she gives instructions.

When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say, and she always says it kindly.

Her mouth is open to give out wisdom, and the law of mercy is on her tongue.

She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness.

She opens her mouth ¹  with wisdom, and loving instruction ²  is on her tongue.

¹ tn The first word of the seventeenth line begins with פּ (pe), the seventeenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

sn The words “mouth” (“opens her mouth”) and “tongue” (“on her tongue”) here are also metonymies of cause, referring to her speaking.

² tn The Hebrew phrase תּוֹרַת־חֶסֶד (torat-khesed) is open to different interpretations. (1) The word “law” could here refer to “teaching” as it does frequently in the book of Proverbs, and the word “love,” which means “loyal, covenant love,” could have the emphasis on faithfulness, yielding the idea of “faithful teaching” to parallel “wisdom” (cf. NIV). (2) The word “love” should probably have more of the emphasis on its basic meaning of “loyal love, lovingkindness.” It also would be an attributive genitive, but its force would be that of “loving instruction” or “teaching with kindness.”