Commentary - Proverbs 24:26

Bird's-eye view

This pithy proverb establishes a profound connection between honesty and affection. In a world awash with flattery, evasion, and deceit, a straightforward and truthful answer is presented not as a cold, clinical transaction of data, but as an act of intimate friendship, comparable to a kiss. The proverb teaches that true love and genuine fellowship are demonstrated and sustained by moral clarity and verbal integrity. It elevates honest speech from a mere ethical duty to a beautiful expression of covenantal loyalty. The man who can be trusted to give you a straight answer is the man who truly has your best interests at heart, and receiving such an answer, even if it is a difficult one, is like receiving a pledge of sincere friendship.

At its core, this is a statement about the relational nature of truth. Truth is not an abstract concept to be debated by philosophers in their ivory towers; it is the very fabric of healthy human relationships. To lie, to flatter, or to evade is to tear that fabric. To speak rightly is to weave it stronger. This proverb, therefore, is a commendation of the courageous friend and a rebuke to the flattering sycophant.

Outline

Context In Proverbs

Proverbs consistently treats the tongue as a primary indicator of a man's heart, whether wise or foolish, righteous or wicked. This verse fits squarely within that extensive body of teaching. It stands in stark contrast to the numerous warnings against the flattering tongue (Prov 2:16; 7:21; 26:28; 29:5) and the lying tongue (Prov 6:17; 12:22; 21:6). While other proverbs describe a fitting word as beautiful, like "apples of gold in settings of silver" (Prov 25:11), or life-giving, like a "tree of life" (Prov 15:4), this particular proverb highlights the relational intimacy that truth-telling fosters. It is part of a collection of "sayings of the wise" (Prov 22:17; 24:23) that emphasize practical righteousness in dealings with one's neighbor, and there is perhaps no more fundamental dealing with a neighbor than the words that pass between you.

Key Issues

The Kiss of a Straight Answer

We live in a sentimental age, an age that confuses niceness with love. We think that the loving thing is always the thing that makes people feel good in the moment. We prize affirmation above all else, and we have come to despise the hard edge of a difficult truth. Consequently, our relationships are often shallow, built on a foundation of unstated grievances, polite evasions, and outright flattery. We have become connoisseurs of the smooth answer, the answer that causes no ripples, the answer that preserves a superficial peace.

Into this flimsy world, the wisdom of Proverbs lands with the force of a thunderclap. An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips. A kiss is not a distant wave or a formal handshake. It is a sign of intimacy, affection, and peace. Think of the holy kiss, the kiss of peace spoken of in the New Testament. It is a sign of genuine fellowship, of a shared life in Christ. This proverb tells us that a straight, honest, right answer is an act of that same order. It is an act of true friendship. The man who tells you what you need to hear, rather than what you want to hear, is the man who is kissing you. The man who flatters you, who tells you what you want to hear in order to manipulate you, is the man who is, in the end, betraying you with a kiss, just as Judas did.

Verse by Verse Commentary

26 He kisses the lips Who responds with right words.

The verse breaks down into two simple parts: the act and the reason. The act is "He kisses the lips." This is the result, the evaluation of the deed. The world is full of people who will shake your hand, but far fewer who will grant you this sign of genuine affection and peace. A kiss signifies acceptance, fellowship, and love. It is personal and direct. This is what a right answer earns, and what it is, in its essence. It is a gesture of covenant loyalty. The one who receives a straight answer should recognize it as a profound blessing, an embrace from a true friend.

The reason for this affection is found in the second clause: "Who responds with right words." The Hebrew for "right words" can also be translated as "a straight answer" or "words that are straightforward." This is not just about factual accuracy, though it certainly includes that. It is about a lack of crookedness. The answer is not evasive, manipulative, or flattering. It is direct, honest, and fitting for the occasion. It is the opposite of the forked tongue of the serpent. A right word is a word that aligns with reality, with God's reality. It might be a word of encouragement, a word of correction, a word of clarification, or a word of rebuke. What makes it "right" is not that it is "nice," but that it is true and spoken with loving integrity. This kind of speech requires wisdom to know what to say, and courage to actually say it. And the one who does it, this proverb says, is a lover of his neighbor's soul.

Application

First, we must resolve to be the kind of person who gives this kiss. This means we must abandon the sinful desire to be liked by everyone at all costs. It means we must be willing to say the hard thing, in love, for the good of another. A parent who gives a "right answer" to a child's tantrum, a pastor who gives a "right answer" from the pulpit to the congregation's sin, a friend who gives a "right answer" to another friend's foolish plan, these are all giving the kiss of true fellowship. Flattery is cheap and easy; truth costs you something. We must be willing to pay the price.

Second, and perhaps harder, we must learn to be the kind of person who can receive this kiss. When someone loves us enough to give us a straight answer, our pride immediately wants to recoil. We want to interpret correction as hatred and a hard truth as an attack. This proverb corrects us. We should learn to recognize the loving rebuke as a kiss. When your brother points out your sin, he is not your enemy; he is your truest friend. We should thank God for the friends who will not let us wander off into delusion, but who love us enough to plant the kiss of a straight answer on us.

Ultimately, the Lord Jesus Christ is the one who always responded with right words. He never flattered, and He never equivocated. His words were so straight that they got Him killed. And yet, every word He spoke was an act of supreme love. The gospel itself is the ultimate "right answer." To our question of "How can I be saved from my sin?" it does not give a flattering or easy reply. It tells us the truth: you are a sinner deserving of hell, and you can do nothing to save yourself. That is the hard word. But it follows with the word of grace: Christ has died for you. That is the kiss of peace from God. And having received that kiss, we are now called to be people of the truth, speaking right words to one another until He returns.