Power in the Tongue

Observe the pairing. Verse 20 says that from the fruit of their mouth a person's stomach is filled; with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied. Verse 21 says the tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit. Both verses use the image of eating. Words are compared to a crop that you plant and then live on.

Interpret it. The claim is that speech comes back to the speaker. What you say shapes your relationships, your reputation, your own heart, and eventually you eat the harvest. Life and death are strong terms, and Proverbs means them. A word can open a door for a person or shut it. It can call someone toward hope or confirm their despair. Elsewhere the book says reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Those who love it will eat its fruit. The phrase is a little ambiguous, and probably on purpose. If you love talking, you will get plenty of what talking produces, for good or ill.

Apply it. Consider what your words planted yesterday. Think about whether the people closest to you would describe your speech as life-giving.

What is one thing you said recently that you would take back if you could? Who in your life needs a word that gives life this week? And what habit of speech, sarcasm perhaps, or complaint, has become a crop you keep eating?