Proverbs 12:14 - Printer Friendly

ESV: From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.

NIV: From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things, and the work of their hands brings them reward.

NASB: A person will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his words, And the deeds of a person’s hands will return to him.

CSB: A person will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth, and the work of a person's hands will reward him.

NLT: Wise words bring many benefits, and hard work brings rewards.

KJV: A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth: and the recompence of a man's hands shall be rendered unto him.

NKJV: A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth, And the recompense of a man’s hands will be rendered to him.

Solomon alleges that a man's good words produce "satisfaction." This means that honest, godly words come back to him with as much benefit as the work of his hands. Ecclesiastes 11:1 states, "Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days." By blessing others with kind, encouraging words, a righteous person will gain the respect and love of others.

Jesus taught that goodness and kindness will be repaid. He said, "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put in your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you" (Luke 6:37–38). Words wisely spoken echo back to a righteous person from the lips of those whom he blesses and thereby satisfy the heart.

Proverbs 12:12–23 continues Solomon's contrast of a wise righteous person and a wicked fool. In this segment, he focuses mainly on their different speech patterns. He points out that the words of a liar are an abomination to the Lord, whereas the Lord delights in the words of a wise person.

Proverbs 12 contains a series of contrasts between lifestyles, comparing those who honor God to those who reject His wisdom. The results of those decisions are also compared. This repeats several common themes from the book of Proverbs, such as the self-destructive nature of sin and God's distaste for those who lie.

Proverbs 12 continues Solomon's wise sayings. A large portion of the book of Proverbs includes these short, common sense pieces of advice. After a series of introductions and lessons in chapters 1—9, chapter 10 began a long list of individual statements. In this chapter he continues to contrast the righteous and the wicked, showing that the life of the righteous is far better than the life of the wicked. This pattern will continue, covering the same basic theme, through chapter 15.

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.

Accessed 4/29/2024 1:43:34 AM