Proverbs 11:13

Proverbs 11:13, in plain English

A gossip can't help but spill secrets; a trustworthy person keeps them. This is a test of character—can people confide in you without fear?

Why it's here

In tight-knit communities, being known as someone who keeps confidences was enormously valuable. It meant people could be honest with you, which strengthened relationships and built trust. Gossips, by contrast, were isolated because nobody could trust them.

Who's speaking

Solomon, drawing a simple but profound distinction between two kinds of people.

Where it sits in the story

The Bible values loyalty and trustworthiness as marks of maturity and wisdom. God Himself is completely trustworthy—He keeps His word and guards our hearts with His faithfulness.

The scholarly reading

The gossip betrays secrets entrusted to them, revealing their untrustworthiness, while the faithful person maintains confidences. The verse establishes trustworthiness as measured by whether one keeps secrets.

Language and setting

The term סוֹד (sod, 'secret') in wisdom literature denotes not merely hidden information but counsel shared in confidence—the kind that requires fiduciary responsibility. The verb גָּלָה (galah, 'reveals') suggests not accidental disclosure but deliberate betrayal. The gossip (רָכִיל, rakil—the root meaning 'to go about' or 'to peddle') is a merchant of information, treating confidential counsel as commodity. The trustworthy person, by contrast, protects the integrity of relationships through their silence.

Voice

The sage, addressing students who will move in social circles where information is currency and where trust is at a premium.

Significance

This echoes the Psalmic prayer to be kept from the 'deceit of the tongue' (Psalm 5:6) and prefigures Paul's instruction that love 'is not rude, does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing' (1 Corinthians 13:5-6). Trustworthiness becomes a core virtue because it is the foundation of genuine community.

11By the blessing of the upright a city is built up, but by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down.

12Whoever shows contempt for his neighbor lacks judgment, but a man of understanding remains silent.

13A gossip reveals a secret, but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.

14For lack of guidance, a nation falls, but with many counselors comes deliverance.

15He who puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer, but the one who hates indebtedness is secure.

Read all of Proverbs 11 — The Lord detests dishonest scales. Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.