Many of the Proverbs have a bit of a scattershot quality to them. But in these four verses, the Hebrew sages put together four wise sayings that address the quality of human speech, both in its ability to wound and damage, but also to heal and give life. (Apart from Proverbs, the image of “the tree of life” only occurs in the Hebrew creation story in Genesis 2 and 3, and in John the seer’s visions of God’s new earth in Revelation 2 and 22.)

• The Common English Bible translates the Hebrew word in Proverbs 15:1 as “sensitive,” and other translations use “soft” or “gentle.” For some, such words give an impression of weakness. But a later proverb said, “A commander can be persuaded with patience, and a tender tongue can break a bone” (Proverbs 25:15). When have you seen wisely chosen words break down barriers that harsh speech would only have made higher and more rigid?
• Professor Paul Koptak wrote, “These proverbs do more than simply urge us to watch what we say and how; they also inspire us to examine the intentions of our hearts.” Have you ever found, when you were (maybe reluctantly) honest with yourself, that the inner sources of your “righteous indignation” were not as “righteous” as you at first thought they were? Does responding to anger with more anger usually make things better or worse?