Proverbs 10:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense.

NIV: The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of sense.

NASB: The lips of the righteous feed many, But fools die for lack of understanding.

CSB: The lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for lack of sense.

NLT: The words of the godly encourage many, but fools are destroyed by their lack of common sense.

KJV: The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of wisdom.

NKJV: The lips of the righteous feed many, But fools die for lack of wisdom.

In the prior verse, Solomon compared "the tongue" of someone who speaks godly wisdom to precious silver. Here, a similar image implies that wise words lead other people to success. In contrast, those who ignore wisdom or speak against it suffer the consequences.

Just as a server of a huge banquet feeds many people so the righteous person feeds many by speaking good words. That can have a literal implication, in that wise advice can make others more stable and successful. There is also a spiritual facet to this idea. Food is necessary to sustain physical life, but words sourced in God are necessary to impart and sustain spiritual life, Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4).

The apostle Peter referred to God's Word as producing the new birth. He writes in 1 Peter 1:23: "Since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God." Jesus' disciples had seen him feed 5,000 people to their complete satisfaction, but they understood that His words were effective in feeding their souls. Simon Peter confessed, "You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:68). Christians can effectively feed many spiritually by sharing the words of eternal life with others.

The wicked person's words, on the other hand, cannot feed anybody, not even himself. Dealing in foolishness is a path to disaster (Proverbs 10:17, 27).

Proverbs 10:11–32 contrasts the righteous and the wicked, focusing on their different speech patterns, their different lifestyles, their different attitudes, and their different destinies. Verses 21 through 27 are especially focused on the different results which can be expected from pursuing godliness, versus pursuing sin.

This chapter begins 375 "proverbs," which are general-case lessons or observations. These wise remarks continue the discussion of wisdom and wickedness begun in chapters 1—9. Most of the verses in chapter 10 contain a sharp contrast, with the conjunction "but" separating the lines. Often, the subject changes from verse to verse. The contrasting subjects include sons, treasure, work ethic, reputation, relationships, success, and speech.

In Proverbs 7—9 Solomon contrasts wisdom and wickedness in the symbolic persons of Lady Wisdom and Woman Folly. He calls upon his sons, or students, to choose wisdom, and he points out the benefits of choosing wisdom and the disastrous results of choosing wickedness. Chapter 10 presents vivid contrasts between wisdom and wickedness in many of life's settings. These comparisons continue into chapter 11.

Proverbs is best understood in context with the books of Ecclesiastes and Job. In Proverbs, “wisdom” is given in short, simple, general terms. Ecclesiastes represents wisdom based on observation and experience. This often shows how the general principles of the book of Proverbs don’t apply in absolutely every circumstance. Job represents wisdom based on the experience of suffering and injustice. All three come to the conclusion that God does indeed know best, and the most sensible course of action is to follow His will.