Bird's-eye view
Proverbs 16:21 presents a foundational principle of godly influence, neatly tying together a person's internal character with their external effectiveness. The verse is a classic Hebrew parallelism, where the second line complements and expands upon the first. The first half establishes that true wisdom, seated in the heart, will inevitably be recognized by the community. It earns a reputation for discernment. The second half explains one of the primary ways this wisdom is expressed and made effective: through gracious, persuasive speech. This "sweetness of lips" is not sentimental flattery but the winsome presentation of truth, which has the power to instruct and persuade others. In short, a wise heart produces a wise reputation, and that wisdom is conveyed through speech that is both true and gracious, making it a powerful tool for teaching.
This proverb stands as a corrective to two common errors. The first is the error of the brilliant but abrasive man, who has knowledge but lacks the grace to communicate it effectively, thus shutting down the ears of his hearers. The second is the error of the smooth-talking but empty-headed man, who has sweet lips but no wisdom in his heart. Biblical wisdom requires both substance and style, a heart aligned with God's truth and lips that can skillfully and graciously deliver that truth to others.
Outline
- 1. The Union of Character and Communication (Prov 16:21)
- a. The Public Recognition of Inner Wisdom (v. 21a)
- b. The Instructive Power of Gracious Speech (v. 21b)
Context In Proverbs
This verse sits within a chapter that repeatedly emphasizes God's absolute sovereignty over all human affairs. "The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD" (Prov 16:1). "The LORD has made everything for its purpose" (Prov 16:4). "The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps" (Prov 16:9). Within this framework of divine sovereignty, Proverbs 16:21 shows us the ordinary means God uses to work out His purposes in the world of human interaction. He gives wisdom to the heart, and He blesses the gracious speech that flows from that heart to bring about learning and understanding in others. This proverb is not a secular self-help tip on how to be more persuasive. It is a description of how a person whose heart is ordered by the fear of the Lord becomes an effective instrument of truth in his community.
Key Issues
- The Heart as the Seat of Wisdom
- Reputation as the Fruit of Character
- The Meaning of "Sweetness of Lips"
- The Relationship Between Truth and Tone
- The Goal of Godly Communication
Heart, Reputation, and Rhetoric
In our modern therapeutic culture, we are often told to look "within" to find our truth, as though the heart were a pristine wellspring of goodness. The Bible knows better. The heart, in Hebrew thought, is the command center of the entire person: intellect, will, and affections. And the Bible's diagnosis is that this heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick (Jer 17:9). Therefore, the "wise in heart" is not someone who has simply followed his own intuition. He is someone whose heart has been re-calibrated by an external standard, the fear of the Lord, which is the beginning of wisdom (Prov 9:10).
This internal reality then works its way out. It produces a life of such consistent discernment that the community cannot help but notice. They "call" him understanding. This is not a title he claims for himself, but one that is bestowed upon him. And how does this wisdom transfer from one person to another? Through the spoken word. But not just any word. It is through speech characterized by "sweetness," a graciousness that makes the truth attractive. This is the essence of godly rhetoric: truth, beautifully and persuasively communicated, for the purpose of building others up in knowledge.
Verse by Verse Commentary
21a The wise in heart will be called understanding,
The foundation is the "wise in heart." This is not about being clever, or having a high IQ, or being a trivia champion. This is about having a heart that is rightly oriented to God and His created order. It is a moral and spiritual quality before it is an intellectual one. This wisdom is comprehensive; it knows how to navigate the complexities of life, relationships, and decisions in a way that honors God. And this internal state does not remain a secret. It will out. A wise man's decisions, his counsel, and his demeanor will, over time, build a reputation. The community around him will come to recognize his quality of mind and character and will name it for what it is: understanding or discernment. This is the opposite of the fool, whose folly is also manifest to all, though he is often the last to see it. Character, whether wise or foolish, eventually creates an undeniable reputation.
21b And sweetness of lips increases learning.
This second clause explains the primary vehicle for the wise man's influence. His wisdom is not locked away in his heart; it is communicated. The instrument of that communication is his lips, and the quality of that communication is sweetness. This is not the saccharine sweetness of flattery or the cloying sweetness of sentimentality. The Hebrew word refers to that which is pleasant, gracious, and appealing. It is the skill of making truth and instruction palatable. Think of a physician who has a wonderful bedside manner; the patient is more inclined to take the medicine he prescribes. In the same way, truth delivered with harshness, arrogance, or impatience will often be rejected, regardless of its validity. But truth spoken with grace, with winsomeness, "increases learning." The word for learning here is leqah, which can also mean persuasiveness. Gracious speech doesn't just dump information; it persuades, it convinces, it wins over the heart and mind of the hearer. It opens the door to instruction.
Application
The application of this proverb must begin where the proverb itself begins: with the heart. We cannot work on our communication style in order to fake a wise heart. That is the way of the Pharisees, cleaning the outside of the cup. The Christian life works from the inside out. We must first pray for wisdom, which God gives generously to all who ask (James 1:5). We must steep our hearts in the Word of God, which makes us wise for salvation (2 Tim 3:15). As our hearts are transformed by the gospel, our speech will naturally begin to change.
This verse calls us to a marriage of substance and style. We are to be people of deep, biblical conviction, with hearts full of wisdom. But we are also to be people who can articulate those convictions with grace and winsomeness. As the apostle Paul says, our speech should always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that we know how to answer everyone (Col 4:6). Are you known as a person of understanding? And is your speech characterized by a sweetness that makes people want to learn, or a bitterness that makes them want to run? The ultimate model for this is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, of whom it was said, "gracious words were coming from His mouth" (Luke 4:22). He was the incarnation of wisdom, and His words were the very definition of sweet, life-giving instruction.