Proverbs 12:18

There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword,.... Whose words are like sharp swords, cutting, wounding, dividing, killing; see Psalms 57:4; such are the words of false witnesses, who by their

There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.

Speaketh like the piercings of a sword, hurtful and pernicious words, whereby they either corrupt men’ s minds and manners, or scandalize them, or injure them in their reputation, estate, or life, or otherwise. The tongue of the wise is health; his speech, both in judgment and in common discourse, is sound and wholesome in itself, and tending to the comfort and benefit of others.

Proverbs 12:18 There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise [is] health.Ver. 18. There is that speaketh lies like the piercings of a sword.] False witnesses do so, with a witness. As Doeg, and his fellow hacksters with their murdering weapons in David’ s bones, whereby they killed him alive, and buried him in their throats, those gaping graves, open sepulchres. Abimelech and his fellow priests were killed with the tongue, as with a tuck or rapier; so was Naboth and his sons; so was our Saviour Christ himself. Reckon thou Shimei and Rabshakeh among the first and chiefest kill Christs, saith one, because ever an honest mind is more afflicted with words than blows. You shall find some, saith Erasmus, that if death be threatened, can despise it; but to be belied they cannot brook, nor from revenge contain themselves. How was David enraged by Nabal’ s railings! Moses, by the people’ s murmurings! Jeremiah, by the derisions of the rude rabble. But the tongue of the wise is health.] Or, A medicine, as the tench is to the wounded fishes; or as that noble Lady Eleanor’ s tongue was to her husband, Prince Edward, afterward Edward I, who, being traitorously wounded by a poisoned knife in the Holy Land, was perfectly cured by her daily licking his rankling wounds whilst he slept, and yet herself received no harm; so sovereign a medicine is a good tongue, anointed with the virtue of love and wisdom. Wholesome words, as certain salves or treacles, cure the wounds of afflicted hearts, and extract the poison infused by evil tongues. Speed, Camden.

(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.

Verse 18. 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 true reading.

18. speaketh] Rather, speaketh rashly, R.V.; scattereth thoughtless words, as one might recklessly brandish a naked sword. “Many a word at random spoken May wound … a heart that’s broken.”

18. There is that speaketh — Prates or babbles. Piercings of a sword — Like knife-thrusts. His words are daggers. But the tongue of the wise is health — Or healing; heals the wounds made by the idle and malicious babblers.