Proverbs 25:23
New International Version
Like a north wind that brings unexpected rain is a sly tongue—which provokes a horrified look.

New Living Translation
As surely as a north wind brings rain, so a gossiping tongue causes anger!

English Standard Version
The north wind brings forth rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

Berean Standard Bible
As the north wind brings forth rain, so a backbiting tongue brings angry looks.

King James Bible
The north wind driveth away rain: so doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue.

New King James Version
The north wind brings forth rain, And a backbiting tongue an angry countenance.

New American Standard Bible
The north wind brings rain, And a gossiping tongue brings an angry face.

NASB 1995
The north wind brings forth rain, And a backbiting tongue, an angry countenance.

NASB 1977
The north wind brings forth rain, And a backbiting tongue, an angry countenance.

Legacy Standard Bible
The north wind brings forth rain, And a tongue of secrets, an indignant face.

Amplified Bible
The north wind brings forth rain; And a backbiting tongue, an angry countenance.

Christian Standard Bible
The north wind produces rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The north wind produces rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

American Standard Version
The north wind bringeth forth rain: So doth a backbiting tongue an angry countenance.

Contemporary English Version
As surely as rain blows in from the north, anger is caused by cruel words.

English Revised Version
The north wind bringeth forth rain: so doth a backbiting tongue an angry countenance.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
[As] the north wind brings rain, so a whispering tongue brings angry looks.

Good News Translation
Gossip brings anger just as surely as the north wind brings rain.

International Standard Version
The north wind brings rain, and a backbiting tongue an angry look.

Majority Standard Bible
As the north wind brings forth rain, so a backbiting tongue brings angry looks.

NET Bible
The north wind brings forth rain, and a gossiping tongue brings forth an angry look.

New Heart English Bible
The north wind brings forth rain: so a backbiting tongue brings an angry face.

Webster's Bible Translation
The north wind driveth away rain: so doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue.

World English Bible
The north wind produces rain; so a backbiting tongue brings an angry face.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
A north wind brings forth rain, "" And a secret tongue—indignant faces.

Young's Literal Translation
A north wind bringeth forth rain, And a secret tongue -- indignant faces.

Smith's Literal Translation
The north wind will set free the rain, and an angry face, a hidden tongue.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The north wind driveth away rain, as doth a sad countenance a backbiting tongue.

Catholic Public Domain Version
The north wind brings forth the rain, and a sorrowful face brings forth a detracting tongue.

New American Bible
The north wind brings rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

New Revised Standard Version
The north wind produces rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Like the north wind which brings forth rain, so are an evil countenance and a backbiting tongue.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
As the North wind gives birth to rain, so also is an evil face to a lurking tongue.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
The north wind bringeth forth rain, And a backbiting tongue an angry countenance.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
The north wind raises clouds; so an impudent face provokes the tongue.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
More Proverbs of Solomon
22For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the LORD will reward you. 23As the north wind brings forth rain, so a backbiting tongue brings angry looks. 24Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.…

Cross References
James 3:10-12
Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, this should not be! / Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? / My brothers, can a fig tree grow olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Ephesians 4:29
Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.

Colossians 4:6
Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Matthew 5:11-12
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. / Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.

1 Peter 3:9
Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

Romans 12:14
Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.

James 1:26
If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is worthless.

1 Thessalonians 5:15
Make sure that no one repays evil for evil. Always pursue what is good for one another and for all people.

Luke 6:28
bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

1 Corinthians 4:12
We work hard with our own hands. When we are vilified, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;

Psalm 101:5
Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; the one with haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not endure.

Psalm 15:3
who has no slander on his tongue, who does no harm to his neighbor, who casts no scorn on his friend,

Psalm 34:13
Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from deceitful speech.

Psalm 140:11
May no slanderer be established in the land; may calamity hunt down the man of violence.

Isaiah 29:20-21
For the ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who look for evil will be cut down— / those who indict a man with a word, who ensnare the mediator at the gate, and who with false charges deprive the innocent of justice.


Treasury of Scripture

The north wind drives away rain: so does an angry countenance a backbiting tongue.

north

Job 37:22
Fair weather cometh out of the north: with God is terrible majesty.

Psalm 15:3
He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.

Psalm 101:5
Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.

Romans 1:30
Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,

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Proverbs 25
1. observations about kings
8. and about avoiding causes of quarrels














As the north wind
The phrase "as the north wind" refers to a natural phenomenon well understood in the ancient Near East. The north wind, in the context of Israel's geography, often brought cold and sometimes stormy weather. In Hebrew, the word for north is "צָפוֹן" (tsaphon), which can also imply something hidden or concealed, as the north was often associated with mystery and power. This imagery sets the stage for understanding the inevitable consequences of certain actions, just as the north wind predictably brings a change in weather.

brings forth rain
The phrase "brings forth rain" suggests an unavoidable outcome. In the agricultural society of ancient Israel, rain was both a blessing and a challenge, necessary for crops but also capable of causing destruction if excessive. The Hebrew word for rain, "מָטָר" (matar), is often used in the Bible to symbolize God's provision and judgment. This duality reflects the dual nature of the consequences of human actions, particularly those involving speech.

so a backbiting tongue
The "backbiting tongue" is a vivid metaphor for gossip or slander. The Hebrew word for tongue, "לָשׁוֹן" (lashon), is frequently used in the Bible to represent speech and its power. The act of backbiting involves speaking ill of someone behind their back, which is condemned throughout Scripture as destructive and divisive. This phrase highlights the moral and ethical teachings of Proverbs, emphasizing the importance of integrity and the dangers of deceitful speech.

brings angry looks
The result, "brings angry looks," is a direct consequence of the actions described. The Hebrew word for angry, "פָּנִים" (panim), literally means "faces," indicating the visible expression of anger or displeasure. This reflects the social and relational impact of harmful speech, which can lead to conflict and broken relationships. The wisdom literature of the Bible often underscores the importance of harmony and the destructive nature of anger, urging believers to pursue peace and understanding.

(23) The north wind driveth away rain.--The marginal rendering is probably more correct: "The north wind bringeth forth rain;" but as this seems to be opposed to Job 37:22, it has been thought that the north-west, which is a rainy wind, must be intended here.

So doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue.--Rather, So doth a backbiting tongue (bring forth, or cause) troubled faces.

Verse 23. - The north wind driveth away rain. So St. Jerome (Ventus Aquilo dissipat pluvias), Symmachus, Aben Ezra, and others. The north wind is called by the natives of Palestine "the heavenly," from the bright effect which it produces in the sky. "By means of the north wind cometh he (the sun) forth as gold" (Job 37:22). But the verb here used (חול) means "to bring forth, produce" (Psalm 90:2); hence the Revised Version rightly renders, "The north wind bringeth forth rain." This is quite true if "north wind" be taken as equivalent to "wind from the dark quarter" (Umbreit), like ζόφος in Greek; and, in fact, the northwest wind in Palestine does bring rain. Septuagint, "The north wind arouseth (ἐξεγείρει) clouds." So doth an angry countenance a backbiting, tongue. Carrying on the interpretation intended by the Authorized Version, this clause means that an angry leer will check a slanderer and incline him to hold his peace from prudential motives. But with the rendering given above, "bringeth forth," another explanation is involved, viz. "So does a secret, slandering tongue cause a troubled countenance." When a man discovers that a secret slanderer is working against him, he shows it by his gloomy and angry look, as the sky is dark with clouds when a storm is threatened. "Countenance" is plural in the Hebrew, denoting, as Hitzig points out, that the calumniator does not affect one person only, but occasions trouble far and wide, destroys friendly relations between many, excites suspicion and enmity in various quarters Septuagint, "An impudent countenance provokes the tongue."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
As the north
צָ֭פוֹן (ṣā·p̄ō·wn)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 6828: Hidden, dark, the north as a, quarter

wind
ר֣וּחַ (rū·aḥ)
Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 7307: Wind, breath, exhalation, life, anger, unsubstantiality, a region of the sky, spirit

brings forth
תְּח֣וֹלֵֽל (tə·ḥō·w·lêl)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 2342: To twist, whirl, to dance, to writhe in pain, fear, to wait, to pervert

rain,
גָּ֑שֶׁם (gā·šem)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1653: Rain, shower

so a backbiting
סָֽתֶר׃ (sā·ṯer)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5643: A covering, hiding place, secrecy

tongue
לְשׁ֣וֹן (lə·šō·wn)
Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 3956: The tongue

[brings] angry
נִ֝זְעָמִ֗ים (niz·‘ā·mîm)
Verb - Nifal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 2194: To foam at the mouth, to be enraged

looks.
וּפָנִ֥ים (ū·p̄ā·nîm)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 6440: The face


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 25:23 The north wind brings forth rain: so (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 25:22
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