Proverbs 4:24

Pro 4:24 Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put far from thee.

Ver. 24. Put away from thee a froward mouth.] To the keeping of the heart, a careful watching over the mouth, eyes, feet, &c., doth much conduce. For these outward parts abused, as they receive defilement from the heart, so they reflect defilement also upon it. They stain the soul, and dispose it to further evil. Christ had a pure heart; therefore his eyes were not bewitched, nor his ears enchanted, "neither was there any guile found in his mouth."

And perverse lips put far from thee.] Because it is a duty of no small difficulty, {Jas 3:2-12} therefore he redoubleth his exhortation. "The words of the wise are as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies." {Ecc 12:11}

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.

Pro_4:24-27

Put away from thee a froward mouth.

Laws of life

A law for the tongue, a law for the eye, a law for the mind, a law for the life.

I. A demand for pure language. Speech is one of the grand peculiarities that distinguish man. It is the organ by which one man can influence the ages. Yet it has become the vehicle of error, the channel of pollution, the utterance of blasphemy, etc. A pure heart is essential to pure speech.

II. A demand for a straightforward purpose. Have no side-glances, no by-ends; but have a grand purpose on which the eye of the soul shall be always fixed. Straightforwardness stands opposed to all sly cunning, all vacillation, all ambiguity; all double meanings and aims.

III. A demand for habitual thoughtfulness. Man was made not only to think, but to be thoughtful. He should walk the path of life--

1. Thoughtfully, not by impulse.

2. Thoughtfully, not by prejudice.

3. Thoughtfully, not by custom.

IV. A demand for unswerving rectitude. Duty is a straight path. The way of sin is serpentine in its shape as well as in its spirit. Virtue is a straight line running right up to God. Any turn, therefore, would be wrong and riskful. Take care: there are by-paths tempting in every direction. (D. Thomas, D.D.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Pro 4:24-26. Put away a froward mouth — All sorts of sinful words, which proceed from, and discover an evil heart. Let thine eyes look right on — Let thine intention be pure: direct all thine actions to a right end, namely, the glory of God in thy eternal salvation, and keep thy mind fixed upon that way which leads to it, and neither look or turn aside to the right hand or to the left. Ponder the path of thy feet — Consider thy actions before thou doest them, and see that they agree with the rule. And let all thy ways be established — Or, directed, as יכונוmay be better rendered here. Or, thy ways shall be established. They shall be uniformly and constantly good, in spite of all temptations to the contrary. So this is a promise to confirm the foregoing precept. If thou dost ponder them thou mayest expect God’s blessing and good success in them. Shun all extremes, and neither add to God’s commands nor take from them.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The following admonitions of this chapter bear reference to the outward conduct of life. They continue the subject of ver. 23 by showing how the guarding of the heart is to be done. There is the most; intimate connection between the heart as the fountain of the moral life and of the conduct of life, which, though determined by the condition of the heart, in its turn reacts upon the heart as the moral centre, and keeps it pure. Thus the subject is treated from its two sides. On vers. 24 and 25 Hitzig remarks that they "warn against an arbitrary perverting of the moral judgment into which evil passions so easily betray, and admonish not to give misdirection to thought within the department of morality." A froward mouth, and perverse lips; literally, perverseness of mouth and waywardness of lips (ikk"shuth peh vulzuth s"phathayim). "Perversity of mouth" is fraudulent, deceitful speech; that which twists, distorts, perverts, or misrepresents what is true, and hence falsehood. (Pro_4:24 Pro_6:12 Pro_19:1) The skolioma of the LXX, i.e. the "tortuous mouth," in a metaphorical sense. The phrase is very similar in meaning with the parallel "waywardness of lips," which means speech which turns aside from what is true and right, the noun lazuth being derived from lazah, or luz, "to bend aside." The tongue is the unruly member. (Jam_3:2) Speech is the index of the mind (Lapide). Vigilance over the heart is vigilance over the mouth, inasmuch as "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh". (Mat_12:34) The admonition may have a twofold application, and may mean either do not indulge in this kind of speech yourself, exercise an unremitting jealousy over every propensity to it; or have no dealings with those who are guilty of it, as in Psa_101:5.

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

4:24 Because a person’s words originate in the heart, Proverbs teaches extensively about speech. One of the most basic lessons is to avoid perverse or corrupt speech, later defined as lies, slander, gossip, and rumor (6:12; 17:4; 18:8).

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

a froward mouth--that is, a mouth, or words of ill nature. The Hebrew word differs from that used (Pro 2:15; Pro 3:32).

perverse--or, "quarreling."

lips--or, "words."

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 24. A froward mouth] Beware of hastiness, anger, and rash speeches.

And perverse lips] Do not delight in nor acquire the habit of contradicting and gainsaying; and beware of calumniating and backbiting your neighbour.

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

(24) A froward mouth.—Heb. ‘iqqeshûth, literally, distortion, or twisting of the truth, not the same word as in Pro_2:12; Pro_2:14.

Perverse lips—i.e., that “turn aside” from the truth.

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

Put away from thee a froward mouth,.... A mouth speaking froward and perverse things; things contrary to right reason, to the law of God, and Gospel of Christ; blasphemies against God or men; every thing that is untrue, unchaste, unjust, foolish, and filthy; all swearing, lying, and everything that is repugnant to truth and justice. Some understand it of men that are liars, blasphemers, and froward persons, who are to be shunned and avoided, and to be debarred the houses and society of good men;

and perverse lips put far from thee; do not make use of them thyself, nor keep company with men of such a character. Much the same thing is meant as before.

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

Speech turned from its true purpose, the wandering eye that leads on to evil, action hasty and inconsiderate, are the natural results where we do not “above all keeping keep our heart” Pro 4:23.

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

From thee. Neither detract, nor give any countenance to detractors.

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).

All sorts of sinful words, which proceed from and discover an evil heart.

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

24. A froward mouth… perverse lips — Swerving from truth and purity, all lying, prevarication, deceitful and wrong discourse of every kind.

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

Mouth - All sorts of sinful words.

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

Put crooked speech away from you and put corrupt talk far from you

The writer speaks of lying or deceitful speech as if it were crooked and of a person not using this kind of language as if it were removing it far away from oneself. AT: "Do not lie and do not speak deceitfully" (See: Metaphor)

Let your eyes look straight ahead and fix your gaze straight before you

Here the word "eyes" represents the person who is looking. The writer speaks of a person being committed to doing the right thing as if that person were constantly looking forward without turning his head to look in another direction. AT: "Always look straight ahead and fix your gaze straight before you" (See: Synecdoche and Metaphor)

translationWords

corrupt

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

Take crooked speech away from yourself Don’t do anything for which people will slander you and make their mouths crooked [when talking] about you.

crooked speech Heb. עקשות. This is an expression of עקום, crooked, as in (Job 9:20): “Though I was innocent, He would prove me perverse (ויעקשני),” and in the Mishnah (Hullin 3:3) “its teeth are crooked and twisted (עקושות).”

devious lips Crooked lips, that the people should not open their mouth wide [when talking] about you.

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.