Proverbs 13:3

He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(3) He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life.—Comp. above, on Proverbs 4:23; Proverbs 12:13.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

13:1 There is great hope of those that reverence their parents. There is little hope of any who will not hear those that deal faithfully with them. 2. By our words we must be justified or condemned, Mt 12:37. 3. He that thinks before he speaks, that suppresses evil if he have thought it, keeps his soul from a great deal both of guilt and grief. Many a one is ruined by an ungoverned tongue. 4. The slothful desire the gains the diligent get, but hate the pains the diligent take; therefore they have nothing. This is especially true as to the soul. 5. Where sin reigns, the man is loathsome. If his conscience were awake, he would abhor himself, and repent in dust and ashes.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The fruit of his mouth - Speech rightly used is itself good, and must therefore bring good fruit.

Eat violence - i. e., Bring upon itself repayment in kind for its deeds of evil.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

3. He … mouth … life—because evil speeches may provoke violence from others.

he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction—On last clause, compare Pr 10:14.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

He that keepeth his mouth, to wit, to the opening of it; who speaks sparingly, and with due care and caution;

keepeth his life; prevents many sins and mischiefs which others run into. He that openeth wide his lips, that takes liberty to speak every thing which pleaseth him, or cometh into his mind, shall have destruction, from God or men.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life,.... He that keeps his mouth shut keeps it as with a bridle; keeps it from speaking things of other persons, particularly of such as are in high places, of kings and princes, and civil magistrates: he keeps himself quiet and comfortable; keeps himself from many troubles, which otherwise he would come into; keeps his life from danger, to which it would be exposed, should he speak evil of dignities, or give himself the freedom, as some do, whereby they are brought to an untimely end; see Proverbs 18:21; besides, persons ought to be careful of their words, since by them a man will either be justified or condemned hereafter, Matthew 12:37;

but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction; or "consternation" (x): he that is rash and inconsiderate, hasty with his lips, a talkative man; that speaks freely everything that comes into his mind, regardless of the characters of men, or consequences of things; is often brought into frights and fears, through the menaces and threatenings of men in power, whose characters he has made too free with, and oftentimes is brought to ruin and destruction: so he, whose throat is as an open sepulchre, belching out filthy words, horrid oaths, curses, and imprecations, destruction is near him, even in all his ways; and the man of sin, that opens his mouth in blasphemy against God, and his tabernacle, and his saints, shall go into perdition, Revelation 13:5.

(x) "consternatio", Mercerus, Cocceius, Michaelis; "terrebitur", Tigurine version.

Geneva Study Bible

He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

3. keepeth … keepeth] Rather, guardeth … keepeth, R.V., the Heb. words being different. For the sentiment comp. Proverbs 10:19.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 3. - He that keepeth (guardeth) his mouth keepeth his life (Proverbs 18:21; Proverbs 21:23; comp. Psalm 39:1; James 1:26). Thus the gnome -

Ἡ γλῶσσα πολλοὺς εἰς ὄλεθρον ἤγαγεν.

"The tongue hath many to destruction led." And Ecclus. 28:25, "Weigh thy words in a balance, and make a door and bar for thy mouth. Beware thou slide not by it, lest thou fall before him that lieth in wait." But he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction (Proverbs 10:14). The Vulgate paraphrases, "He who is inconsiderate in speech shall experience evils;" Septuagint, "will terrify himself" - will occasion to himself many terrible alarms and inflictions. Hence the psalmist prays, "Set a watch, O Lord, before my month; keep the door of my lips." So we have in the Danish, "A silent man's words are not brought into court;" and in the Spanish, "Let not the tongue say what the head shall pay for;" while the Italians tell us, "The sheep that bleats is strangled by the wolf:" and "Silence was never written down" (Kelly). (See on Proverbs 18:6; 20:19.) Proverbs 13:3

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

3 He that guardeth his mouth keepeth his soul;

   He that openeth his lips, to him it is destruction.

3a is extended in Proverbs 21:23 to a distich. Mouth and soul stand in closest interchangeable relation, for speech is the most immediate and continuous expression of the soul; thus whoever guards his mouth keeps his soul (the Venet., with excellent rendering of the synonym, ὁ τηρῶν τὸ στόμα ἑαυτοῦ φυλάσσει τὴν ψυχὴν ἑαυτοῦ), for he watches that no sinful vain thoughts rise up in his soul and come forth in words, and because he thus keeps his soul, i.e., himself, safe from the destructive consequences of the sins of the tongue. On the contrary, he who opens wide his lips, i.e., cannot hold his mouth (lxx ὁ δὲ προπετὴς χείλεσιν), but expresses unexamined and unconsidered whatever comes into his mind and gives delight, he is destruction to himself (supply הוּא), or to him it is destruction (supply זאת); both interpretations are possible, the parallelism brings nearer the former, and the parallel Proverbs 18:7 brings nearer the latter. פּשׂק means to spread (Schultens diducere cum ruptura vel ad rupturam usque), here the lips, Pih. Ezekiel 16:25, the legs, Arab. fashkh, farshkh; vid., regarding the R. פש, to extend, to spread out, Fleischer in the supplements to the A. L. Z. 1843, Colossians 116. Regarding the Mishle word מחתּה, vid., under Proverbs 10:14.