The Reply of the Tongue Is from the LORD
Proverbs 16:27
In 11 translations
- BSB
- A worthless man digs up evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire.Or and what is on his lips
- KJV
- An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.An…: Heb. A man of Belial
- WEB
- A worthless man devises mischief. His speech is like a scorching fire.
- ASV
- A worthless man deviseth mischief; And in his lips there is as a scorching fire.
- LSV
- A worthless man is preparing evil, || And on his lips [is] as a burning fire.
- YLT
- A worthless man is preparing evil, And on his lips — as a burning fire.
- DBY
- A man of Belial diggeth up evil, and on his lips there is as a scorching fire.
- DRC
- The wicked man diggeth evil, and in his lips is a burning fire.
- GNV
- A wicked man diggeth vp euill, and in his lippes is like burning fire.
- JPS
- An ungodly man diggeth up evil, and in his lips there is as a burning fire.
- LXXE
- But the perverse bears destruction upon his own mouth: a foolish man digs up evil for himself, and treasures fire on his own lips.
Word by word Hebrew · tap a word
Words in brackets are English the glossers added; the Hebrew has no word for them, and they can carry a choice of tense or meaning.
Where the editions differ
Editions are published forms of the Hebrew and Greek texts. Meet the editions and sources →
- Written (Ketiv): שְׂפָתָיו (“lips his”). Read aloud (Qere): שְׂ֝פָת֗וֹ (“lip his”) — the form shown in the word-by-word reader.
Spelling, punctuation and minor wording (1)
- Leningrad Codex reads שְׂ֝פָתֹ֗יו; read aloud (Qere) reads שְׂ֝פָת֗וֹ (“lip his”).
Edition differences: STEP Bible, based on work at Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0). Names and codes expanded; consecutive words grouped. Comparisons follow the editions used by the source; see version details.
Original-language editions
- WLC
- אִ֣ישׁ בְּ֭לִיַּעַל כֹּרֶ֣ה רָעָ֑ה וְעַל־שפתיו כְּאֵ֣שׁ צָרָֽבֶת׃Read aloud as (qere): שְׂ֝פָת֗וֹ
- LXX-Br
- ἀνὴρ ἄφρων ὀρύσσει ἑαυτῷ κακὰ, ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ χειλέων θησαυρίζει πῦρ.
In the reference works topics that cite this verse
From public-domain Bible dictionaries and topical indexes (1884–1915).
Cross-references most cited first
- James 3:6The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.
- Proverbs 6:14With deceit in his heart he devises evil; he continually sows discord.
- 1 Samuel 25:17Now consider carefully what you must do, because disaster looms over our master and all his household. For he is such a scoundrel that nobody can speak to him!”
- Proverbs 6:12A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth,
- Psalms 52:2–4Your tongue devises destruction like a sharpened razor, O worker of deceit. You love evil more than good, falsehood more than speaking truth. Selah You love every word that devours, O deceitful tongue.
- Psalms 17:14–15from such men, O LORD, by Your hand— from men of the world whose portion is in this life. May You fill the bellies of Your treasured ones and satisfy their sons, so they leave their abundance to their children. As for…
- Isaiah 5:18Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of deceit and pull sin along with cart ropes,
- Psalms 57:4My soul is among the lions; I lie down with ravenous beasts— with men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.
- Proverbs 2:4if you seek it like silver and search it out like hidden treasure,
- Habakkuk 2:13Is it not indeed from the LORD of Hosts that the labor of the people only feeds the fire, and the nations weary themselves in vain?
- 2 Samuel 20:1Now a worthless man named Sheba son of Bichri, a Benjamite, happened to be there, and he blew the ram’s horn and shouted: “We have no share in David, no inheritance in Jesse’s son. Every man to his tent, O Israel!”
From the OpenBible.info cross-reference set (votes from readers; not every link is a quotation or allusion).