In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.
What does Proverbs 14:23 mean?
Labour of the head, or of the hand, will turn to some good account. But if men's religion runs all out in talk and noise, they will come to nothing.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Proverbs 14:23-25 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Proverbs 14:23
The contrast between a single, thorough deed, and the mere emptiness of speech.
Key words
- abundance
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abundance. (u) "abundantia", Tigurine version, Baynus, Mercerus, Gejerus.
- abundance
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abundance. (u) "abundantia", Tigurine version, Baynus, Mercerus, Gejerus.
Context in Proverbs 14
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Proverbs 14 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as Solomonic proverb collections. Proverbs offers compact instruction on speech, work, wealth, friendship, sex, discipline, justice, and wisdom as a way of life before God. Read this chapter with the wider themes of wisdom, fear of the Lord, and speech in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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