Commentary - Proverbs 10:11

Bird's-eye view

The book of Proverbs is a book of contrasts, a book of antithetical parallelism. The wise man is set over against the fool, the righteous against the wicked, the diligent against the sluggard. This is not just a literary device; it reflects the two ways that are set before every man, the way of life and the way of death. This particular proverb, in the heart of a long series of such contrasts, zeroes in on the instrument that most reveals the heart: the mouth. As Jesus would later say, it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks (Matt. 12:34). Here, Solomon tells us what kind of abundance is in each heart. The righteous heart overflows with life, and so his mouth is a fountain. The wicked heart is full of violence, and so his mouth is a cover-up operation for that violence.

This verse is a diagnostic tool. If you want to know the state of a man's soul, you don't need an MRI machine, you just need to listen to him talk for five minutes. His words are the headwaters of a river, and that river is either flowing with life-giving water or with the sludge of death. The proverb forces us to see that our speech is never neutral. It is either building up or tearing down. It is either a source of refreshment for those around us, or it is a mask for the violence festering within.

Outline

Context In Proverbs

Chapter 10 marks a shift in the book of Proverbs. The first nine chapters consist of longer, thematic discourses from a father to a son. Starting here, we get the pithy, two-clause sayings that are the hallmark of the book. These are not disconnected fortune-cookie platitudes. They are sharp, focused applications of the central theme already established: "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (Prov. 9:10). This verse, 10:11, fits squarely in a section that repeatedly contrasts the righteous and the wicked (vv. 2, 3, 6, 7, 16, 20, 21, 24, 25, 28, 30, 31, 32). The particular focus here is on the consequences and characteristics of their speech. What a man says, and what his words accomplish, is a direct outworking of his covenantal standing before God. He is either a fountain or a facade.

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

11a. The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,

The imagery here is potent, especially in an arid land. A fountain, or a well of life, is a source of refreshment, sustenance, and vitality in a dry and weary place. This is what the speech of a righteous man is like. His words bring life. Why? Because he is connected to the ultimate source of life, who is God Himself. God spoke, and the universe came into being. The Lord Jesus is the Word made flesh, and He is the resurrection and the life. The righteous man, being one who is justified by faith and is being sanctified by the Spirit, has his heart and mind increasingly saturated with the life-giving Word of God. Consequently, what comes out of his mouth is not his own autonomous wisdom, but echoes of divine truth, grace, and wisdom. His words encourage the fainthearted, correct the erring, comfort the grieving, and instruct the ignorant. Like a cool cup of water to a thirsty soul, his speech is a blessing to all who hear it. This is not to say he is perfect, but the trajectory and tenor of his speech is life-giving. Think of how the lips of the righteous "feed many" (Prov. 10:21). Their words are nourishing. This is the opposite of the empty calories of foolish talk or the poison of slander. This is substantive, life-building communication.

11b. But the mouth of the wicked covers up violence.

Here is the sharp antithesis. The Hebrew word for violence here is hamas. It refers to cruel, destructive, and malicious intent. The mouth of the wicked man is not a fountain, but a manhole cover. It conceals the sewer of his heart. The wicked man uses words to hide his true intentions. This is not just about the hired thug who lies to the police. This is about the flatterer whose words are smoother than butter, but has war in his heart (Ps. 55:21). It's the gossip who couches her slander in expressions of pious concern. It's the smooth-talking salesman who uses a torrent of words to hide the fatal flaw in his product. It's the politician who speaks of peace while preparing for war. The wicked man's speech is a smokescreen. He uses it to manipulate, to deceive, and to get what he wants, which is always at the expense of others. His words do not bring life; they facilitate death. They are the lubricant for his violent schemes. While the righteous man's words are transparent and life-giving, the wicked man's words are opaque and deadly. They are a trap, a covering for a pit. The serpent in the garden is the archetype. He did not come with overt threats, but with smooth, questioning, deceptive words that concealed his violent intention to overthrow God's order and bring death to mankind.

Application

The application of this proverb is intensely practical and cuts to the heart. We must all ask ourselves: "What comes out of my mouth? Is it a fountain or a facade?" We live in an age drowning in words, social media, 24-hour news, endless commentary. But is it life-giving? Or does it simply cover up the violence of envious, angry, and bitter hearts?

For the believer, this proverb is both a standard and a promise. The standard is that our speech should be a fountain of life. We are called to let our speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt (Col. 4:6). The promise is that as we are transformed by the renewing of our minds through the Word and Spirit, our speech will increasingly become just that. We cannot do this in our own strength. Our hearts are naturally polluted wells. But Christ, the fountain of living water, has cleansed us. He has given us His Spirit, and it is His life in us that can turn our mouths into fountains of life for others.

We must therefore be diligent. We must guard our hearts, for they are the wellspring of life (Prov. 4:23). And we must guard our mouths, repenting of speech that conceals violence, the sharp retort, the cutting remark, the subtle lie, the flattering word, and asking God to fill us with His Spirit, so that out of our hearts will flow rivers of living water, bringing refreshment and life to a world dying of thirst.