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Monday, July 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Wycliffe Bible

Proverbs 15:1

A soft answere brekith ire; an hard word reisith woodnesse.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Anger;   Meekness;   Speaking;   Tact;   Thompson Chain Reference - Evil;   Kind Words;   Silence-Speech;   Social Duties;   Words;   The Topic Concordance - Anger;   Speech/communication;   Wrath;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Anger;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Poetry of the Hebrews;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Tongue;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Gentleness;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Pardon;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Gideon;   Jephthah;   Rehoboam;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Proverbs, Book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Agrapha;   Anger;   Meekness;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
A gentle answer turns away anger,
Hebrew Names Version
A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.
King James Version
A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
English Standard Version
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
New American Standard Bible
A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.
New Century Version
A gentle answer will calm a person's anger, but an unkind answer will cause more anger.
Amplified Bible
A soft and gentle and thoughtful answer turns away wrath, But harsh and painful and careless words stir up anger.
World English Bible
A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.
Geneva Bible (1587)
A soft answere putteth away wrath: but grieuous wordes stirre vp anger.
Legacy Standard Bible
A gentle answer turns away wrath,But a harsh word stirs up anger.
Berean Standard Bible
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Contemporary English Version
A kind answer soothes angry feelings, but harsh words stir them up.
Complete Jewish Bible
A gentle response deflects fury, but a harsh word makes tempers rise.
Darby Translation
A soft answer turneth away fury; but a grievous word stirreth up anger.
Easy-to-Read Version
A gentle answer makes anger disappear, but a rough answer makes it grow.
George Lamsa Translation
A SOFT word turns away wrath; but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Good News Translation
A gentle answer quiets anger, but a harsh one stirs it up.
Lexham English Bible
A soft answer will turn away wrath, but a word of trouble will stir anger.
Literal Translation
A soft answer turns back wrath, but a hurtful word stirs up anger.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
A softe aswere putteth downe displeasure, but frowarde wordes prouoke vnto anger.
American Standard Version
A soft answer turneth away wrath; But a grievous word stirreth up anger.
Bible in Basic English
By a soft answer wrath is turned away, but a bitter word is a cause of angry feelings.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
A soft answer turneth away wrath; but a grievous word stirreth up anger.
King James Version (1611)
A soft answere turneth away wrath: but grieuous words stirre vp anger.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
A soft aunswere appeaseth wrath: but rough wordes stirre vp anger.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Anger slays even wise men; yet a submissive answer turns away wrath: but a grievous word stirs up anger.
English Revised Version
A SOFT answer turneth away wrath: but a grievous word stirreth up anger.
Update Bible Version
A soft answer turns away wrath; But a grievous word stirs up anger.
Webster's Bible Translation
A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
New English Translation
A gentle response turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath.
New King James Version
A soft answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.
New Living Translation
A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare.
New Life Bible
A gentle answer turns away anger, but a sharp word causes anger.
New Revised Standard
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
A soft answer, turneth away wrath, but a cutting word raiseth anger.
Douay-Rheims Bible
A mild answer breaketh wrath: but a harsh word stirreth up fury.
Revised Standard Version
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
Young's Literal Translation
A soft answer turneth back fury, And a grievous word raiseth up anger.
THE MESSAGE
A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

Contextual Overview

1 A soft answere brekith ire; an hard word reisith woodnesse.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

soft: Proverbs 25:15, Judges 8:1-3, 1 Samuel 25:21-33

grievous: Proverbs 15:18, Proverbs 10:12, Proverbs 28:25, Proverbs 29:22, Judges 12:3-6, 1 Samuel 25:10, 1 Samuel 25:11, 1 Samuel 25:21, 1 Samuel 25:22, 2 Samuel 19:43, 1 Kings 12:13-16

Reciprocal: Genesis 13:8 - Let Genesis 16:6 - Abram Genesis 32:4 - my lord Joshua 22:21 - answered Joshua 22:30 - it pleased them Judges 8:3 - Then Judges 12:4 - fugitives 1 Samuel 1:15 - my Lord 1 Samuel 17:29 - General 1 Samuel 24:11 - my father 1 Samuel 24:16 - Is this 2 Samuel 2:27 - unless 1 Kings 12:7 - If thou wilt 2 Chronicles 10:7 - If thou be kind 2 Chronicles 10:13 - answered Job 41:3 - General Proverbs 17:14 - leave Acts 6:5 - the saying Acts 11:4 - General Acts 19:41 - when Hebrews 12:14 - Follow James 3:6 - the tongue

Cross-References

Genesis 15:1
And so whanne these thingis weren don, the word of the Lord was maad to Abram bi a visioun, and seide, Abram, nyle thou drede, Y am thi defender, and thi meede is ful greet.
Genesis 15:2
And Abram seide, Lord God, what schalt thou yyue to me? Y schal go with oute fre children, and this Damask, sone of Elieser, the procuratour of myn hous, schal be myn eir.
Genesis 15:3
And Abram addide, Sotheli thou hast not youe seed to me, and, lo! my borun seruaunt schal be myn eir.
Genesis 15:4
And anoon the word of the Lord was maad to hym, and seide, This schal not be thin eir, but thou schalt haue hym eir, that schal go out of thi wombe.
Genesis 15:5
And the Lord ledde out Abram, and seide to hym, Biholde thou heuene, and noumbre thou sterris, if thou maist. And the Lord seide to Abram, So thi seed schal be.
Genesis 15:6
Abram bileuede to God, and it was arettid to hym to riytfulnesse.
Genesis 15:10
Which took alle these thingis, and departide tho bi the myddis, and settide euer eithir partis ech ayens other; but he departide not the briddis.
Genesis 15:14
netheles Y schal deme the folk to whom thei schulen serue; and aftir these thingis thei schulen go out with greet catel.
Genesis 15:16
Sotheli in the fourthe generacioun thei schulen turne ayen hidir, for the wickidnesses of Amoreis ben not yit fillid, `til to present tyme.
Genesis 15:17
Therfor whanne the sunne was gon doun, a derk myst was maad, and a furneis smokynge apperide, and a laumpe of fier, and passide thorou tho departingis.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

A soft answer turneth away wrath,.... Mild words, gentle expressions, delivered with kindness and tenderness, humility and submission; these will work upon a man's passions, weaken his resentments, and break and scatter the storm of wrath raised in his breast, just breaking forth in a very boisterous and blustering manner; so high winds are sometimes laid by soft showers. Thus the Ephraimites were pacified by Gideon's mild answer; and David by Abigail's very submissive and respectful address, Judges 8:1;

but grievous words stir up anger; such as are rough and menacing, scornful and sneering, reproachful and reviling, proud, haughty, and overbearing; like those of Jephthah to the Ephraimites; and of the Ephraimites to the Gileadites; and of Nabal to David's servants, concerning him; and of Rehoboam, who answered the people roughly: in all which instances anger was stirred up, and either were or like to have been attended with bad consequences, Judges 12:1. Or a "word" causing, or rather expressing, "grief" r; upbraiding others with being the cause of grief to them.

r דבר עצב "verbum vel sermo doloris", Montanus, Vatablus, Michaelis; vid. Gussetius, p. 177.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER XV

The soft answer. Useful correction. Stability of the righteous.

The contented mind. The slothful man. The fool. The covetous.

The impious. The wicked opposed to the righteous; to the

diligent; and to the man who fears the Lord.

NOTES ON CHAP. XV

Verse Proverbs 15:1. A soft answer — Gentleness will often disarm the most furious, where positive derangement has not taken place; one angry word will always beget another, for the disposition of one spirit always begets its own likeness in another: thus kindness produces kindness, and rage produces rage. Universal experience confirms this proverb.


 
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