Commentary - Proverbs 10:32

Bird's-eye view

This proverb presents a sharp, antithetical parallelism that serves as a spiritual diagnostic tool. It contrasts the speech of the righteous with the speech of the wicked, revealing that our words are an unerring indicator of our heart's condition. The righteous person, whose heart is aligned with God, develops a sanctified intuition for what is fitting, gracious, and pleasing, their words are "acceptable." In stark contrast, the wicked person's heart is a fountain of corruption, and so their mouth naturally spews out what is twisted, distorted, and rebellious, what the Bible calls "perverse." This is not about mastering a social skill; it is about the fundamental difference between a regenerated heart that seeks to build up and an unregenerate heart that instinctively tears down.

The verse teaches us that righteous speech is a form of knowledge, a Spirit-given discernment for what is appropriate in the sight of God and for the good of one's neighbor. Wicked speech, on the other hand, is not merely ignorant; it is an expression of a deep-seated love for what is crooked. Ultimately, this proverb pushes us to look beyond our words to the source from which they flow, reminding us that the only true cure for a perverse mouth is the new heart offered in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Outline

Context In Proverbs

Proverbs 10:32 is situated in the first major collection of Solomon's proverbs, which runs from chapter 10 through 22. This section is characterized by its consistent use of two-line, antithetical proverbs, where the second line presents a sharp contrast to the first. This verse is the capstone of a pair of proverbs dealing with the mouth. The preceding verse states, "The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but the perverse tongue will be cut off" (Prov. 10:31). Verse 32 continues this theme, moving from the substance of righteous speech (wisdom) to its character (acceptability). The constant contrast between the righteous and the wicked, and the focus on intensely practical matters like speech, is central to this portion of the book. These are not abstract platitudes but concrete descriptions of how a life submitted to God's wisdom actually looks and sounds compared to a life lived in rebellion.

Key Issues

The Fragrance and the Stench

Words have a spiritual odor. The speech of a godly man or woman is a sweet fragrance, a pleasing aroma to God and a blessing to those who hear. It is, as this verse says, "acceptable." The speech of the wicked, however, is a stench. It is the smell of decay, of something that has been twisted out of its created purpose. It is "perverse." Jesus tells us that the mouth speaks from the abundance of the heart (Luke 6:45). This proverb is simply an Old Testament statement of that same reality. You cannot consistently get fresh water from a polluted spring, and you cannot get acceptable speech from a perverse heart.

Therefore, this verse is not a simple exhortation to "be nice." It is not a lesson from a finishing school on how to make polite conversation. It is a deep theological statement about the nature of man. It divides all of humanity into two camps, the righteous and the wicked, and it tells us that the most reliable way to know which camp a person belongs to is simply to listen to them talk for a while. The righteous man's speech is governed by a sanctified wisdom; the wicked man's speech is governed by his own corrupt desires.

Verse by Verse Commentary

32a The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,

The proverb begins with the righteous. Notice the specific word choice: lips. This often suggests carefulness and precision in speech, as opposed to a gaping, uncontrolled "mouth." These lips belong to the righteous, the one who has been declared righteous by faith and is being made righteous by the work of the Spirit. The key verb is know. This is not mere intellectual assent. The Hebrew word implies an intimate, experiential knowledge. It is a Spirit-wrought discernment, a kind of spiritual muscle memory. The righteous person develops a feel for what is fitting, what is gracious, what is timely, and what is edifying. They know what is "acceptable," which means what is pleasing, first to God, and then to men of goodwill. This is the positive outworking of a transformed heart. The righteous man does not have to consult a rulebook for every sentence; his renewed nature guides his lips to speak what is good and right.

32b But the mouth of the wicked what is perverse.

The contrast is immediate and stark. We move from the careful "lips" of the righteous to the undisciplined mouth of the wicked. The wicked do not "know" what is acceptable; rather, their mouth simply produces what is perverse. The word for perverse means twisted, distorted, or corrupt. It is not just that the wicked say factually incorrect things. It is that their speech is a distortion of reality. It is the sneering sarcasm that tears down, the clever lie that manipulates, the gossip that destroys reputations, the flattery that hides a hook, and the profanity that scorns God. The wicked person's mouth is an open sewer because it is the drainage pipe for a corrupt heart. They do not produce this perversity by accident; it is the natural fruit of their rebellious nature. They love what is crooked, and so their speech reflects that love.

Application

The primary application of this verse is to drive us to self-examination. We must listen to ourselves. What comes out of our mouths when we are squeezed? When we are angry, tired, or unguarded, do our lips "know what is acceptable," or does our mouth spew what is "perverse?" Our speech is a spiritual thermometer that reveals the true condition of our hearts.

If we find that our speech is often perverse, the answer is not to simply try harder to control our tongue. That is pharisaical behavior modification, and it is doomed to fail. A corrupt tree cannot produce good fruit. The only solution is to go to the root of the problem, which is the heart. We must confess our sinful nature and our perverse words as evidence of that nature. We must repent and flee to the only one whose speech was ever perfectly acceptable: the Lord Jesus Christ. Not one perverse word ever crossed His lips.

The gospel is the good news that Christ's perfect righteousness can be counted as ours. When we are united to Him by faith, the Holy Spirit begins the lifelong process of renovation, of making our hearts new. And as our hearts are renewed, our speech will be renewed as well. We will begin, little by little, to have lips that "know what is acceptable." Our speech will increasingly become a means of grace, an instrument for building others up, and a fragrance that is pleasing to our God.