Proverbs 15:4

Pro 15:4 A wholesome tongue [is] a tree of life: but perverseness therein [is] a breach in the spirit.

Ver. 4. A wholesome tongue is a tree of life.] As uttering words that have a healing property in them, pure, precious, and profitable; not unlike that tree of life in the midst of God’s garden, that would have given immortality to the eaters. See August. de Civit. Dei, lib. xv. cap. 20.

But perverseness therein is a breach of the spirit.] That is, in the conscience, which it goreth and gasheth; and in the heart, which it defileth and disposeth to further evil: it leaveth both a sting and a stain in a man’s own soul; besides the much mischief that it doeth to the spirits and manners of other men that are corrupted by it. God’s Spirit also is not a little grieved and vexed, when the godly man suddenly falls (as sometimes he doth), into bitter words, clamours, and evil speakings: these are even as smoke to the eyes, and make the Spirit of God ready to loathe and leave his lodging, as the apostle intimates, Eph 4:30-31. There are those who translate the text, But the mischievousness of it is as a breach made by the wind; and set this sense upon it, As a blustering wind, which throws down trees and houses, doth much harm; so a violent and venomous tongue, causing troubles and calamities, is very pernicious and hurtful. {Job 8:2} Pray we therefore with David "Deliver me, Lord, from a lying lip, and a deceitful tongue." {Psa 120:2}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Note, 1. A good tongue is healing, healing to wounded consciences by comforting them, to sin-sick souls by convincing them, to peace and love when it is broken by accommodating differences, compromising matters in variance, and reconciling parties at variance; this is the healing of the tongue, which is a tree of life, the leaves of which have a sanative virtue, Rev 22:2. He that knows how to discourse will make the place he lives in a paradise. 2. An evil tongue is wounding (perverseness, passion, falsehood, and filthiness there, are a breach in the spirit); it wounds the conscience of the evil speaker, and occasions either guilt or grief to the hearers, and both are to be reckoned breaches in the spirit. Hard words indeed break no bones, but many a heart has been broken by them.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

A wholesome tongue--(Compare Margin), pacifying and soothing language.

tree of life-- (Pro 3:18; Pro 11:30).

perverseness therein--cross, ill-natured language.

breach . . . spirit--(compare Isa 65:14, Hebrew), grieves, instead of appeasing.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 4. A wholesome tongue is a tree of life] Here again is an allusion to the paradisiacal tree, עץ חיים ets chaiyim, "the tree of lives."

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(4) A wholesome tongue.—One which heals and soothes by its gentleness and judicious words. (Comp. Pro_12:18.)

A tree of life.—Comp. Pro_3:18; Pro_11:30.

Perverseness.—Distortion of the truth. (Comp. Pro_11:3.)

A breach in the spirit—i.e., deeply wounds another’s spirit.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

4. wholesome] See Pro_14:30, where the same Heb. word is rendered sound, and note there, and comp. ὑγιαίνοντες λόγοι, 1Ti_6:3; 2Ti_1:13, and λόγος ὑγιής, Tit_2:8. R.V. marg. gives, the healing of (caused by) the tongue. So ἴασις γλώσσης, LXX.; lingua placabilis, Vulg.

a breach in] Better, a breaking of, R.V.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

A wholesome tongue is a tree of life,.... A tongue that delivers out salutary instructions, wholesome advice and counsel; a "healing tongue" (w), as it may be rendered, which pacifies contending parties, and heals the divisions between them; to have the benefit of such a man's company and conversation is like being in paradise. Such is the tongue of a Gospel minister, which delivers out the wholesome words of our Lord Jesus Christ; sound speech and doctrines, which cannot be condemned; healing truths to wounded consciences, such as peace, pardon, righteousness, and atonement by the blood of Christ. These are the means of quickening dead sinners, reviving and comforting distressed ones, and show the way of eternal life unto them;

but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit; impure, unchaste, unsavoury, and corrupt language, does mischief to the spirits of men; evil communications corrupt the heart and manners, defile the soul and the conversation; these and unsound doctrines eat as a canker; and as they make the heart of God's people sad, whom he would not have made sad; so they bring distress and despair into the spirits of others, and make sad wounds and breaches there, which are never healed, and that both in the spirits of speakers and hearers; for damnable heresies bring swift destruction on the propagators of them, and them that receive them.

(w) "sanans", so some in Vatablus.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

A wholesome tongue - literally, as in the margin, the same word as “sound” in Pro 14:30 (see the note). A more literal rendering would be soundness of speech.

Tree of life - Compare Pro 3:18 note.

Breach in the spirit - With the sense of vexation (compare Isa 65:14).

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Life. This comparison was become proverbial for something very excellent. Immoderate. Hebrew, "perverse." (Calmet) --- Evil discourse kills the souls both of those who speak, and of those who pay attention to it. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

A wholesome tongue, which uttereth sound, and comfortable, and useful counsels, is a tree of life; is greatly useful to preserve the present life, and to promote the spiritual and eternal life, both of the speaker and hearers.

Perverseness therein, all sorts of false or corrupt speeches,

is a breach in the spirit; disturbs and wounds, and ofttimes corrupts and destroys, the spirits or souls, both of the speaker and hearers.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

4. A wholesome (or healing) tongue — Or, mildness or quietness of tongue; that is, a gentle and quiet manner of speaking.

Is a tree of life — A favourite figure in this book. (See Gen_2:9; Rev_2:7; Rev_22:2; Rev_22:14; Pro_3:18; Pro_11:30; Pro_13:12.) It is a source of life and health:

heals differences, makes peace, comforts the distressed, and spreads a thousand blessings around.

But perverseness therein — Or, transgression; some render slipperiness.

Is a breach in the spirit — A breaking or hurt of the spirit. In Isa_65:14 this is rendered vexation of spirit. Such a tongue makes great mischief. A good tongue is healing; a bad tongue is wounding.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

A wholesome tongue is a tree of life; a tongue that brings healing, that soothes by its words. Septuagint, "the healing of the tongue." But the Vulgate rendering is better, lingua placabilis, "the gentle, mild tongue". (see on Pro_14:30) Speech from such a source refreshes and vivifies all who come under its influence, like the wholesome fruit of a prolific tree. (comp. Pro_3:18 Pro_11:30) Quchv nosoushv esti farmakon logov. "The sick soul by a healing word is cured.

But perverseness therein in the tongueis a breach in the spirit. The perverseness intended must be falsehood, perversion of the truth. This is ruin and vexation (Isa_65:14, where the same word is used) in the spirit, both in the liar himself, whose higher nature is thus terribly marred and spoiled, and in the case of his neighbour, who is injured by his slander and falsehood to the, very core. The LXX, with a different reading, translates, "But he who keepeth it the tongue shall be filled with the spirit."

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Wholesome - Which utters sound and useful counsels. Tree of life - Is greatly useful to preserve the present life, and to promote the spiritual and eternal life, both of the speaker and hearers. Perverseness - False or corrupt speeches. A breach - Disturbs and wounds the spirits, both of the speaker and hearers.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

Wisdom is finely portrayed as a tree of life. (Pro 3:18 .) So is also the genial influence of the righteous (Pro 11:30 ) — here the fruitfulness of this "little member." A high image of what it ought to be; not negative, not harmless, but wholesome. As the salt, cast into the spring, cleansed the bitter waters (2Ki 2:21 ); so when there is grace in the heart, there will be healing in the tongue. (Pro 12:18 .) "The speech will be with grace, seasoned with salt." (Col 4:6 .) Large indeed is the sphere, and abundant the blessing. When employed in soothing the afflicted, calming the troubled waters with words of peace, it creates a paradise around. It is not like ’the thorny bush, pricking and hurting those that are about us, but a fruitful tree — a tree of life.’†1

But if the gracious tongue be healing, the evil tongue is wounding. The meekest of men felt perverseness a breach in the spirit. (Num 16:8-15 .) The tongue of Job’s friends broke "the bruised reed," which needed to be bound up. (Job 13:1-5 .) Even our Beloved Lord, who never shrunk from external evil, keenly felt the piercing edge of this sword to his inmost soul. (Psa 69:19-20 .) May "grace be poured upon my lips," as upon my Divine Master’s (Psa 45:2 ), so that it may be a wholesome tongue, full of blessing and of good fruits! ’Everlasting benediction be upon that tongue, which spake, as no other ever did, or could speak, pardon, peace, and comfort to lost mankind! This was the tree of life, whose leaves were for the healing of the nations.’†2

Footnotes:

†1 Leighton’s Exposition of the Ninth Commandment, vol. iv.

†2 Bishop Horn’s Sermon on the Tree of Life.

Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs (1846) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

v. 4. A wholesome tongue, literally, "gentleness of tongue," is a tree of life, that is, a person who, in true humility, uses gentle, pacifying, soothing speech will do his share toward a better appreciation and use of life, will cause people with whom he comes into contact to enjoy it more properly; but perverseness therein, that is, transgression with the tongue, its abuse for the purpose of stirring up contention, is a breach in the spirit, it wounds the spirit of men, it causes heartache and grief.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

but if there is perverseness in it, it causes destruction by wind When one is perverse with his tongue, it will ultimately bring upon him destruction that comes from the east wind, which is prepared to mete out retribution upon the wicked, as it is stated (Ex. 14:21): “with a strong east wind”; (Jer. 18: 17): “Like an east wind I will scatter them”; and (Ps. 48:8): “With an east wind, You break the ships of Tarshish.”

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.