“Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things.”
My Notes
What Does Proverbs 8:6 Mean?
"Hear; for I will speak of excellent things; and the opening of my lips shall be right things." Wisdom speaks in first person (Proverbs 8 personifies wisdom as a woman calling out in public) and makes a quality guarantee: what I say is excellent (nagid — noble, princely, weighty) and right (mesharim — upright, straight, equitable). Wisdom doesn't just claim to be true. She claims to be noble and right — carrying both intellectual accuracy and moral integrity.
The invitation "Hear" assumes the audience has a choice — they can listen or ignore. Wisdom doesn't force herself on anyone. She calls out. She makes her case. She guarantees the quality of her content. But the hearing is the listener's decision.
Reflection Questions
- 1.In the competition between smooth words and excellent words, which voice gets more of your attention?
- 2.How do you develop the ability to recognize the difference between flattery and wisdom in real time?
- 3.What 'excellent things' is wisdom saying in your life right now that you're not hearing because they're not smooth?
- 4.Why does wisdom call out publicly rather than speaking privately — and what does that say about how truth operates?
Devotional
Hear. Wisdom doesn't whisper from a corner. She stands in the public square and calls out. She announces herself. She makes her offer in the open: I have excellent things to say. Right things. Noble things. And anyone who listens benefits.
The word for excellent means princely — the kind of speech that comes from a ruler's mouth. Not casual. Not throwaway. Weighty. Worthy of attention. Wisdom doesn't deal in trivialities. When she speaks, the content matches the gravity of a royal decree. Her words carry authority because they carry truth.
The opening of my lips shall be right things. Right — straight, upright, equitable. Not twisted. Not angled for manipulation. Not slanted to benefit the speaker at the listener's expense. Wisdom's words are straight because wisdom herself is straight. The speech reflects the speaker.
This is the opposite of the strange woman's flattery (chapter 7). The flattering woman makes smooth words that lead to destruction. Wisdom makes excellent words that lead to life. Both women call out. Both use speech as their primary tool. The difference is in the quality and direction of their words: one smooths the path to a trap; the other straightens the path to life.
Every day you choose which voice to listen to. The smooth one that tells you what you want to hear. Or the excellent one that tells you what you need to hear. Both are speaking. Both are accessible. The smoothness sounds better. The excellence saves your life.
Hear. The choice is yours. But Wisdom wants you to know: what she's offering is noble, right, and true. The question is whether you'll listen to truth when it competes with flattery.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Hear; for I will speak of excellent things,.... Such are the things of the Gospel; they not only excel what the light of…
Excellent - literally, “princely things.” The word is not the same as in marginal reference, and is elsewhere always…
The will of God revealed to us for our salvation is here largely represented to us as easy to be known and understood,…
excellent things The word is always used elsewhere of persons, princes, or leaders. Here, poetically, my words shall…
Cross References
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