Text -- Proverbs 16:23 (NET)

16:23 A wise person’s heart makes his speech wise and it adds persuasiveness to his words.

Commentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes

NET Notes: Pro 16:23

¹ tn Or “mind” (cf. NCV, NRSV, NLT).

² tn Heb “makes wise his mouth,” with “mouth” being a metonymy of cause for what is said: “speech.”

³ sn Those who are wise say wise things. The proverb uses synthetic parallelism: The first line asserts that the wise heart ensures that what is said is wise, and the second line adds that such a person increases the reception of what is said.

⁴ tn Heb “to his lips.” The term “lips” functions as a metonymy of cause for what is said.