Proverbs 18:21
New International Version
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

New Living Translation
The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.

English Standard Version
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Berean Standard Bible
Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

King James Bible
Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

New King James Version
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

New American Standard Bible
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

NASB 1995
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

NASB 1977
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Legacy Standard Bible
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Amplified Bible
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words.

Christian Standard Bible
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

American Standard Version
Death and life are in the power of the tongue; And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and he that loves it will eat from its fruit.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Life and death are in the power of the tongue; and they that rule it shall eat the fruits thereof.

Contemporary English Version
Words can bring death or life! Talk too much, and you will eat everything you say.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Death and life are in the power of the tongue: they that love it, shall eat the fruits thereof.

English Revised Version
Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love to talk will have to eat their own words.

Good News Translation
What you say can preserve life or destroy it; so you must accept the consequences of your words.

International Standard Version
The power of the tongue is life and death— those who love to talk will eat what it produces.

JPS Tanakh 1917
Death and life are in the power of the tongue; And they that indulge it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Literal Standard Version
Death and life [are] in the power of the tongue, | And those loving it eat its fruit.

Majority Standard Bible
Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

New American Bible
Death and life are in the power of the tongue; those who choose one shall eat its fruit.

NET Bible
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love its use will eat its fruit.

New Revised Standard Version
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.

New Heart English Bible
Death and life are in the power of the tongue; those who love it will eat its fruit.

Webster's Bible Translation
Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit of it.

World English Bible
Death and life are in the power of the tongue; those who love it will eat its fruit.

Young's Literal Translation
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those loving it eat its fruit.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Selfishness of the Unfriendly
20From the fruit of his mouth a man’s belly is filled; with the harvest from his lips he is satisfied. 21Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit. 22He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.…

Cross References
Matthew 12:37
For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."

Proverbs 10:19
When words are many, sin is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.

Proverbs 12:13
An evil man is trapped by his rebellious speech, but a righteous man escapes from trouble.

Proverbs 13:2
From the fruit of his lips a man enjoys good things, but the desire of the faithless is violence.

Proverbs 13:3
He who guards his mouth protects his life, but the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.

Proverbs 21:23
He who guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from distress.

Isaiah 3:10
Tell the righteous it will be well with them, for they will enjoy the fruit of their labor.


Treasury of Scripture

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

death

Proverbs 18:4-7
The words of a man's mouth are as deep waters, and the wellspring of wisdom as a flowing brook…

Proverbs 10:20,21,31
The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth…

Proverbs 11:30
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise.

and

Proverbs 10:9
He that walketh uprightly walketh surely: but he that perverteth his ways shall be known.

Ecclesiastes 10:12-14
The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself…

Isaiah 57:19
I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him.

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Proverbs 18
1. A fool delights not in understanding














(21) Death and life are in the power of the tongue.--See above on Proverbs 4:23, where much the same power is attributed to the heart as is here given to the tongue as being its exponent. (Comp. also Proverbs 12:13.)

They that love it--i.e., to use it.

Verse 21. - Death and life are in the power of the tongue; literally, in the hand of the tongue. The tongue, according as it is used, deals forth life or death; for speech is the picture of the mind (comp. Proverbs 12:18; Proverbs 26:28). The vast importance of our words may be learned from James 3; and our blessed Lord says expressly (Matthew 12:36, etc.), "Every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." Hence the gnome -

Γλῶσσα τύχη γλῶσσα δαίμων

intimating that the tongue is the real controller of man's destiny; and another -

Λόγῳ διοικεῖται βροτῶν βίος μόνῳ . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Life
וְ֭חַיִּים (wə·ḥay·yîm)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2416: Alive, raw, fresh, strong, life

and death
מָ֣וֶת (mā·weṯ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4194: Death, the dead, their place, state, pestilence, ruin

are in the power
בְּיַד־ (bə·yaḏ-)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 3027: A hand

of the tongue,
לָשׁ֑וֹן (lā·šō·wn)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 3956: The tongue

and those who love [it]
וְ֝אֹהֲבֶ֗יהָ (wə·’ō·hă·ḇe·hā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 157: To have affection f

will eat
יֹאכַ֥ל (yō·ḵal)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 398: To eat

its fruit.
פִּרְיָֽהּ׃ (pir·yāh)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 6529: Fruit


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 18:20
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