Why Our Words Matter
Scriptures About Wisdom & Life Giving Words
Proverbs 16:24 ”Kind words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.“
Proverbs 10:11 ”The words of the godly are a life-giving fountain; the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions.“
Proverbs 12:14 ”Wise words bring many benefits, and hard work brings rewards.“
Proverbs 11:17 ”Your kindness will reward you, but your cruelty will destroy you.“
Proverbs 12:18 ”Thoughtless words can wound as deeply as any sword, but wisely spoken words can heal.“
Proverbs 13:3 ”The one who guards his mouth protects his life; the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.“
Proverbs 15:4 ”Kind words bring life, but cruel words crush your spirit.“ Proverbs 15:1 ”A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath.“
Proverbs 15:2 ”The tongue of the wise makes knowledge attractive, but the mouth of fools blurts out foolishness.“
Proverbs 15:28 ”The mind of the righteous person thinks before answering, but the mouth of the wicked blurts out evil things.“
Proverbs 15:26 ”The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked, but gracious words are pure in his sight.“
Proverbs 17:27 ”The one who has knowledge restrains his words, and one who keeps a cool head is a person of understanding.“
Proverbs 17:28 ”Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent; with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.“
Proverbs 15:4 ”Gentle words are a tree of life; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.“
Ephesians 4:15 ”Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.“
Proverbs 18:20 ”What you say affects how you live. You will be rewarded by how you speak.“
Romans 12:14 ”Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.“
Proverbs 8:8 ”Every word I speak is honest, not one is misleading or deceptive.“
Proverbs 18:4 ”The words of a man’s mouth are like deep waters [copious and difficult to fathom]; The fountain of [mature, godly] wisdom is like a bubbling stream [sparkling, fresh, pure, and life-giving].“
Proverbs 20:15 ”Gold there is, and rubies in abundance, but lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.“
Proverbs 21:23 ”Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.“
Proverbs 27:2 ”Let another person praise you, and not your own mouth; a stranger, and not your own lips.“
Proverbs 25:11 ”A word spoken at the right time is like gold apples in silver settings.“
Colossians 4:6 ”Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.“
Psalms 39:1 ”I said to myself, “I will watch what I do and not sin in what I say. I will hold my tongue when the ungodly are around me.”“
Colossians 3:8 ”But now you must get rid of all these things: anger, passion, and hateful feelings. No insults or obscene talk must ever come from your lips.“
Ephesians 4:29 ”Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen“
Scriptural Warnings About Untamed Words
Proverbs 11:12 ”When someone insults his neighbor, it shows that he is foolish. But a wise person stays quiet.“
Proverbs 10:19”The more you talk, the more likely you are to sin. If you are wise, you will keep quiet.“
Proverbs 11:9 ”With their words, the godless destroy their friends, but knowledge will rescue the righteous.“
James 1:26 ”Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.“
Proverbs 12:19 ”Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.“
James 3:6 ”The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.“
James 3:10 ”Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.“
Proverbs 19:5 ”A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will not go free.“
James 4:11-12 ”Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?“
Proverbs 17:9 ”Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but whoever gossips about it separates friends.“
Proverbs 6:16-19 ”There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.“
Proverbs 18:8 ”Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart.“
Psalms 34:13 ”keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies.“
Proverbs 18:13 ”The one who gives an answer before he listens— this is foolishness and disgrace for him.“
Proverbs 18:21 ”What you say can preserve life or destroy it; so you must accept the consequences of your words.“
Ephesians 4:25 ”Therefore, after you have gotten rid of lying, “Each of you must tell the truth to your neighbor” because we are parts of each other in the same body.“
Proverbs 26:20 ”Without wood, fire goes out; without a gossip, conflict dies down.“
Matthew 12:36 ”I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,“
Proverbs 29:20 ”There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking.“
Ecclesiastes 10:12 ”The words of a wise man’s mouth win him favor, but the lips of a fool consume him.“
2 Timothy 2:16 ”Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behavior.“
Proverbs 4:24 ”Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.“
Matthew 12:37 ”For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”“
James 3:5 ”In the same way, our tongue is a very small part of our body. But it speaks as if it is very great. Think about this. A very small fire can cause even a big forest to burn completely.“
Scriptures About How Our Words Reflect Our Heart
Colossians 3:16 ”Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.“
1 Peter 3:9-11 ”Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it.“
Luke 6:45 ”A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.“
John 7:38 ”If a person believes in me, rivers of living water will flow out from his heart. This is what the Scripture says.”“
Matthew 15:11 ”It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.”“
Deuteronomy 6:6-7 ”These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.“
Ephesians 5:4 ”Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.“
Proverbs 5:1-2 ”My son, pay attention to my wisdom. Listen carefully to my wise sayings. Then you will continue to have good sense. Your lips will keep on speaking words of knowledge.“
Scriptures About How Only God Can Tame the Tongue
Psalm 139:4 Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely.
Psalms 141:3 ”Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips.“
2 Corinthians 5:17 ”This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!“
James 3:7-8 ”All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.“ [no human can tame the tongue, but God can, if we let Him work in us]
Psalms 19:14 ”May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.“
Hebrews 4:12 ”For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.“
2 Timothy 3:16 ”All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,“
Matthew 12:34 ”You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.“
John 6:63 ”It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.“
Matthew 15:18 ”But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile.“