There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Proverbs 12:18
What does Proverbs 12:18 mean?
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Proverbs 12:18
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The verse doesn't just contrast sharp words with healing ones; it highlights the thoughtlessness behind the hurtful speech. The "rash words" are like sword thrusts because they're delivered without care, piercing whatever they hit, whereas the wise person's tongue actively seeks to mend the wounds caused by such careless talk.
There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This proverb appears in a section of Proverbs contrasting the ways of the righteous and the wicked, focusing on their words and actions. It immediately follows verses about the lasting impact of truth versus deceit, setting up a direct comparison between careless, harmful speech and the healing power of wise counsel. The verse highlights the profound difference between words that inflict pain and those that bring comfort and restoration.
Ever spoken words that felt like a sharp jab? This proverb paints a vivid picture of how careless speech can inflict deep wounds.
The verse contrasts two kinds of speech. First, it describes someone whose words are like 'sword thrusts.' This isn't just about being loud; it's about speaking thoughtlessly, rashly, or even maliciously. These words can cut deeply, causing emotional pain, damaging reputations, and breaking relationships. The original Hebrew suggests a sense of babbling or speaking indiscreetly, without considering the impact on others. Such words can be like invisible weapons, leaving unseen but painful wounds.
What if your words could mend what others break? This proverb offers a beautiful counterpoint to destructive speech.
The second part of the verse presents the 'tongue of the wise' as bringing 'healing.' This wisdom isn't just about knowing facts; it's about understanding people and situations, and speaking with discernment and kindness. Wise words can soothe hurt feelings, offer comfort, restore peace, and help reconcile broken relationships. They have a restorative quality, like a balm that heals wounds. This contrast shows that our words have a profound ability to either inflict pain or bring comfort and restoration.
Understand the original words
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battah · Hebrew Noun
Utterances made without reflection or restraint; impulsive speech that often lacks wisdom and causes immediate harm.
marpe · Hebrew Noun
A state of restoration, soundness, and wholeness; in the context of the tongue, it refers to speech that builds up, encourages, and restores relationships.
This passage powerfully illustrates the destructive potential of the tongue, comparing it to a small but fiercely destructive fire and a deadly poison, mirroring Proverbs' imagery of 'sword thrusts'.
Matthew 12:36-37Jesus warns that people will have to give an account for every careless word they speak, emphasizing the weight and consequence of our speech, just as Proverbs highlights the impact of both harmful and healing words.
Proverbs 18:21This verse directly states that 'death and life are in the power of the tongue,' reinforcing the profound idea in Proverbs 12:18 that our words carry immense power to harm or to heal.
Ephesians 4:29This verse calls believers to let 'only what is good for building up' come from their mouths, providing a clear mandate for the kind of 'healing' speech that the wise person in Proverbs practices.
clarkeProverbs 12:18: "There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health."
There is that speaketh - Instead of בוטה boteh, blabbing out, blustering, several MSS. have בוטח boteach, Trusting: and instead of כמדקרות kemadkeroth, As the piercings, seven MSS., with the Complutensian Polyglot, have במדקרות bemadkeroth, In the piercings. "There is that trusteth in the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health." But I suppose the former to be the…
ellicottProverbs 12:18: "There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health."
(18) There is that speaketh.— Rather, that babbleth, like the piercing of a sword, that chatters on, not noticing or caring how he may wound the feelings of others by his inconsiderate remarks. The tongue of the wise is health.—Or, healing; soothing the wounds made by the other’s indiscriminate chatter.
The verse doesn't just contrast sharp words with healing ones; it highlights the thoughtlessness behind the hurtful speech. The "rash words" are like sword thrusts because they're delivered without care, piercing whatever they hit, whereas the wise person's tongue actively seeks to mend the wounds caused by such careless talk.
This proverb appears in a section of Proverbs contrasting the ways of the righteous and the wicked, focusing on their words and actions. It immediately follows verses about the lasting impact of truth versus deceit, setting up a direct comparison between careless, harmful speech and the healing power of wise counsel. The verse highlights the profound difference between words that inflict pain and those that bring comfort and restoration.
This proverb appears in a section of Proverbs contrasting the ways of the righteous and the wicked, focusing on their words and actions. It immediately follows verses about the lasting impact of truth versus deceit, setting up a direct comparison between careless, harmful speech and the healing power of wise counsel. The verse highlights the profound difference between words that inflict pain and those that bring comfort and restoration.
"There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." — The verse doesn't just contrast sharp words with healing ones; it highlights the thoughtlessness behind the hurtful speech. The "rash words" are like sword thrusts because they're delivered without…
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Last reviewed October 2026