The one guarding his mouth is keeping his soul (Proverbs 13:3)

4 min readSep 17, 2024

Proverbs chapter 13:

“A son is wise where there is a father’s discipline, but the ridiculer is one that has not heard rebuke.

2 From the fruitage of his mouth a man will eat good, but the very soul of those dealing treacherously is violence.

3 The one guarding his mouth is keeping his soul. The one opening wide his lips — he will have ruin.

4 The lazy one is showing himself desirous, but his soul [has] nothing. However, the very soul of the diligent ones will be made fat.

5 A false word is what the righteous hates, but the wicked ones act shamefully and cause disgrace for themselves.

6 Righteousness itself safeguards the one who is harmless in his way, but wickedness is what subverts the sinner.

7 There exists the one that is pretending to be rich and yet he has nothing at all; there is the one that is pretending to be of little means and yet [he has] many valuable things.

8 The ransom for a man’s soul is his riches, but the one of little means has not heard rebuke.

9 The very light of the righteous ones will rejoice; but the lamp of the wicked ones — it will be extinguished.

10 By presumptuousness one only causes a struggle, but with those consulting together there is wisdom.

11 Valuable things resulting from vanity become fewer, but the one collecting by the hand is the one that makes increase.

12 Expectation postponed is making the heart sick, but the thing desired is a tree of life when it does come.

13 He that has despised the word, from him a [debtor’s] pledge will be seized; but the one fearing the commandment is the one that will be rewarded.

14 The law of the wise one is a source of life, to turn one away from the snares of death.

15 Good insight itself gives favor, but the way of those dealing treacherously is rugged.

16 Everyone shrewd will act with knowledge, but the one that is stupid will spread abroad foolishness.

17 A messenger that is wicked will fall into bad, but a faithful envoy is a healing.

18 The one neglecting discipline [comes to] poverty and dishonor, but the one keeping a reproof is the one that is glorified.

19 Desire when realized is pleasurable to the soul; but it is something detestable to the stupid ones to turn away from bad.

20 He that is walking with wise persons will become wise, but he that is having dealings with the stupid ones will fare badly.

21 Sinners are the ones whom calamity pursues, but the righteous are the ones whom good rewards.

22 One who is good will leave an inheritance to sons of sons, and the wealth of the sinner is something treasured up for the righteous one.

23 Plowed ground of persons of little means [yields] a great deal of food, but there exists the one that is swept away for lack of judgment.

24 The one holding back his rod is hating his son, but the one loving him is he that does look for him with discipline.

25 The righteous is eating to the satisfaction of his soul, but the belly of the wicked ones will be empty” (Proverbs chapter 13).

“A son is wise where there is a father’s discipline, but the ridiculer is one that has not heard rebuke” (verse 1).

“The one guarding his mouth is keeping his soul. The one opening wide his lips — he will have ruin” (verse 3). The expression of keeping the soul could mean having life saved, while having ruin could, some times, mean to lose life because of reckless words.

“There exists the one that is pretending to be rich and yet he has nothing at all; there is the one that is pretending to be of little means and yet he has many valuable things” (verse 7).

“By presumptuousness one only causes a struggle, but with those consulting together there is wisdom” (verse 10). The presumption is the fact that someone who does not listen to the point of view of others, that ultimately leads to problems of the relationship. The consulting is the listening from the point of view of others with the mutual concession.

“Expectation postponed is making the heart sick, but the thing desired is a tree of life when it does come” (verse 12).

“The one holding back his rod is hating his son, but the one loving him is he that does look for him with discipline” (verse 24). The rod is the symbol of the discipline (it is not necessarily to take in the sense of body punishment). Discipline is an expression of love of a father towards his son, while laxity is disdain towards the child who is left spiritually abandoned to himself, without spiritual orientation.

Reading the Bible (Reading and meditating on the biblical book of Proverbs):

English: https://yomelyah.com/435551334/435936045

French: https://yomelijah.com/434579029/435949980

Spanish: https://yomeliah.com/435165580/436032079

Portuguese: https://yomelias.com/435876442/436041507

THE SPIRITUAL MAN (Existential meditation on the biblical book of Ecclesiastes):

English: http://www.yomelyah.com/435966902

French: http://www.yomelijah.com/435950338

Spanish: http://www.yomeliah.com/436032401

Portuguese: http://www.yomelias.com/436041981

The Promise of God. The complete explanation of Genesis 3:15.

English: http://www.yomelyah.com/439659476