Don't Wear Yourself Out
My inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right. Proverbs 23:16 · Berean Standard Bible
Your deepest self will truly rejoice when your child speaks truth and says what's right, because that shows real character.
Right speech flowing from a wise heart is what brings a parent real joy. It's not about external success or looking good—it's about your child's heart being oriented toward truth.
A father or wise teacher speaking to a young person (now presumably a parent)
Throughout Scripture, the mouth and heart are connected—what we say reveals what's truly in us. A child whose words are true and right is a child whose inner life is being shaped well.
When you speak righteousness—when your words align with truth and moral integrity—your father's innermost being finds profound satisfaction and vindication.
The term 'inmost being' (קרבי, kirbi—literally 'my bowels') invokes the visceral, emotional depths of paternal love. The progression from verse 15 (heart becoming wise) to verse 16 (lips speaking righteousness) traces the movement from internal conviction to external expression—the integration of being and doing that constitutes true wisdom.
The father, extending his previous declaration to emphasize that the proof of internalized wisdom appears in the child's speech and conduct.
This emphasis on righteous speech echoes throughout wisdom literature and the New Testament alike, establishing that words function as windows into character—that what the mouth speaks reveals what the heart harbors and has become.
14Strike him with a rod, and you will deliver his soul from Sheol.
15My son, if your heart is wise, my own heart will indeed rejoice.
16My inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.
17Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always continue in the fear of the LORD.
18For surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.
Read all of Proverbs 23 — Do not wear yourself out to get rich. Have the wisdom to show restraint. Riches sprout wings and fly away like an eagle.
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