Proverbs 10:20

My Notes

What Does Proverbs 10:20 Mean?

"The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is little worth." Solomon contrasts the speech of the righteous with the heart of the wicked using economic metaphor. The just person's tongue is choice silver (keseph nivchar — selected, refined, premium silver). The wicked person's heart is little worth (me'at — insignificant, trivial). The comparison crosses categories: the just are valued for their output (speech). The wicked are devalued for their input (heart). What comes out of the righteous is precious. What's inside the wicked is worthless.

The tongue-heart contrast suggests that speech reveals interior value. A just person's words are as valuable as refined silver because they flow from a refined character. A wicked person's heart — regardless of what their tongue produces — has little fundamental worth.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What value does your speech consistently produce — choice silver or something cheaper?
• 2.How does the refining process (discipline, correction, Scripture) make speech more valuable over time?
• 3.Why does Solomon compare the just person's tongue with the wicked person's heart rather than keeping the categories parallel?
• 4.What does it mean that the 'little worth' of a heart can be disguised by impressive speech?

Devotional

Choice silver. That's what comes out of a righteous person's mouth. Not raw ore. Not unrefined metal. Choice silver — the premium grade, selected from the best, purified for maximum value. When a just person speaks, the words carry that kind of worth.

Little worth. That's what sits inside a wicked person's chest. Regardless of how impressive their speech sounds, the heart behind it is trivial. Insignificant. Not worth the investment of your trust.

The contrast crosses categories deliberately: tongue versus heart. Output versus input. Solomon doesn't compare tongue to tongue or heart to heart. He compares the best thing about the righteous (their speech) with the worst thing about the wicked (their heart). And the gap is total: one is choice silver; the other is little worth.

This tells you where to look when evaluating people. The righteous are identified by what comes out of them — their words consistently produce value, like a mine that consistently produces premium silver. The wicked are identified by what's inside them — regardless of their verbal performance, the heart driving it is empty.

Choice silver doesn't happen accidentally. It's selected and refined. The just person's speech is valuable because it's been through a refining process — years of discipline, correction, Scripture, prayer, and the slow work of the Spirit purifying the tongue by purifying the heart. The words are precious because the process that produced them was costly.

What's your tongue worth? Not: what does it sound like? What's the value of what comes out when you speak? And what's the heart behind it worth — the hidden interior that nobody sees but that determines the value of everything you say?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture