EasyEnglish Bible 2018
Proverbs 10:20
20The words of righteous people are as valuable as the best silver. But the thoughts of wicked people are useless.
Proverbs 10:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth.
- New International Version (NIV)The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; the heart of the wicked is of little worth.
- New King James Version (NKJV)The tongue of the righteous is choice silver; The heart of the wicked is worth little.
Context of Proverbs 10:20
18If you hate somebody but you try to hide it, you are telling lies. And if you say false things about other people, you are a fool. 19If you talk too much, you will soon do something wrong. But if you are wise, you will stop talking. The words of righteous people are as valuable as the best silver. But the thoughts of wicked people are useless. 21The teaching of righteous people will help many people. But foolish people die because they are so stupid. 22If the Lord blesses you, you are really rich. Hard work will not make you any richer.
Read all of Proverbs 10Proverbs 10:20 word by word
כֶּ֣סֶף נִ֭בְחָר לְשׁ֣וֹן צַדִּ֑יק לֵ֖ב רְשָׁעִ֣ים כִּמְעָֽט׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 10:20
- Proverbs 12:18If you speak in a careless way, you may hurt other people. But when wise people speak, it makes people feel well.
- Proverbs 15:4Kind words are like the fruit of a tree that gives life. But words that are not honest make people sad and weak.
- Proverbs 16:13Kings are happy to hear honest advice. They love people who speak true words.
- Proverbs 25:11A wise word that you speak at the right time is a beautiful thing. It is like a gold apple on a silver plate.
- Matthew 12:35It is like things that you bring out of a room where you keep them. The good man says good things because he keeps good thoughts in his mind. The bad man says bad things because he keeps bad thoughts in his mind.
- Proverbs 23:7He says, ‘Eat and drink as much as you want,’ but he does not really mean that. He is thinking about the cost of the food.
- Genesis 6:5The Lord saw that men and women on the earth had become very bad. They thought only of evil things all the time.
- Genesis 8:21The Lord smelled the sacrifice and it made him happy. The Lord said to himself, ‘I will never curse the ground again because of the bad things that people do. From the time that they are children, they want to do bad things. But I will never again destroy everything that breathes, as I have done this time.
- Jeremiah 17:9A person's own mind deceives him, more than anything else does. Nobody can change it to be better. Nobody completely understands it.
- Matthew 12:34You are like the children of dangerous snakes. You cannot say good things when your thoughts are bad. When you speak, your words show what is in your mind.
Commentaries on Proverbs 10:20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20The heart of the wicked is little worth - כמעט kimat, is like little or nothing; or is like dross, while the tongue of the just is like silver. A sinner's heart is worth nothing, and is good for nothing; and yet because it is his most hidden part, he vaunts of its honesty, goodness, etc.! Yes, yes; it is very honest and good, only the devil is in it! that is all.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20The tongue, the instrument of the mind is contrasted with the heart or mind itself, the just with the wicked, the choice silver with the worthless “little,” the Hebrew word being possibly taken in its primary sense as a “filing” or “scraping” of dross or worthless metal. If the tongue is precious, how much more the mind! If the heart is worthless, how much more the speech!Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 20-21Verses 20-21 The tongue of the just is sincere, freed from the dross of guile and evil design. Pious discourse is spiritual food to the needy. Fools die for want of a heart, so the word is; for want of thought.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20Words express what is in the heart.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. Right speech is the fruit of a good heart, but the wicked show theirs to be useless.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 10:20
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 10
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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