Speech ¹  that heals ²  is like ³  a life-giving tree, ⁴  but a perverse tongue ⁵  breaks the spirit.

biblegateway Pro 15:4

A soothing tongue is a tree of life, But perversion in it crushes the spirit.

The tongue that heals is a tree of life, but a devious tongue breaks the spirit.

A soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue breaks the spirit.

biblegateway Pro 15:4

The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.

A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

bibleoremus Pro 15:4

A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

A soothing word is a tree of life, but a mischievous tongue breaks the spirit.

biblegateway Pro 15:4

A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

A wholesome tongue [is] a tree of life: but perverseness therein [is] a breach in the spirit.

biblegateway Pro 15:4

Speech ¹  that heals ²  is like ³  a life-giving tree, ⁴  but a perverse tongue ⁵  breaks the spirit.

¹ tn Heb “a tongue.” The term “tongue” is a metonymy of cause for what is produced: speech.

² tn Heb “a tongue of healing.” A healing tongue refers to speech that is therapeutic or soothing. It is a source of vitality.

³ tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied for the sake of clarity.

⁴ tn Heb “tree of life.”

⁵ tn Heb “perversion in it.” The referent must be the tongue, so this has been supplied in the translation for clarity. A tongue that is twisted, perverse, or deceitful is a way of describing deceitful speech. Such words will crush the spirit (e.g., Isa 65:14).