Proverbs 18:21
WEB
Death and life are in the power of the tongue; those who love it will eat its fruit.
BSB
Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
KJV
Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.
Matthew Henry
Hebrew interlinear
H4194
n-m — death, dead, pestilence, ruin
Derivation: from 4191;
death (natural or violent); concretely, the dead, their place or state (hades); figuratively, pestilence, ruin
KJV: (be) dead(-ly), death, die(-d).
n.m — death
מָ֫וֶת 161 n.m. death
1. death, opp. life
2. death by violence
3. state of death or place of death
H2416
a n-m n-f — alive, raw, fresh, strong, life
Derivation: from 2421;
alive; hence, raw (flesh); fresh (plant, water, year), strong; also (as noun, especially in the feminine singular and masculine plural) life (or living thing), whether literally or figuratively
KJV: age, alive, appetite, (wild) beast, company, congregation, life(-time), live(-ly), living (creature, thing), maintenance, merry, multitude, (be) old, quick, raw, running, springing, troop.
adj — alive
חַי adj. alive, living
1.
a. of God, as the living one, the fountain of life
b. of man
c. of animals, alive, living
d. animals and man
e. (dub.) of vegetation, as thorns, green
f. of water, fresh
2. (dub.) lively, active
3. reviving
n.f — living thing
חַיָּה n.f. living thing, animal
1. animal
a. in general
b. wild animals, on account of their vital energy and activity
c. living beings, of the cherubic chariot
2. life, only in late poetry
3. appetite, activity of hunger
4. revival, renewal
n.f — community
חַיָּה n.f. community
n.m — life
חַיִּים n.m. pl. abstr. emph. life
1. life: physical
2. life: as welfare and happiness in king's presence
3. sustenance, maintenance
H3027
n-f — hand, open, power, means, direction, closed
Derivation: a primitive word;
a hand (the open one [indicating power, means, direction, etc.], in distinction from 3709, the closed one); used (as noun, adverb, etc.) in a great variety of applications, both literally and figuratively, both proximate and remote [as follows]
KJV: ( be) able, × about, armholes, at, axletree, because of, beside, border, × bounty, broad, (broken-) handed, × by, charge, coast, consecrate, creditor, custody, debt, dominion, × enough, fellowship, force, × from, hand(-staves, -y work), × he, himself, × in, labour, large, ledge, (left-) handed, means, × mine, ministry, near, × of, × order, ordinance, × our, parts, pain, power, × presumptuously, service, side, sore, state, stay, draw with strength, stroke, swear, terror, × thee, × by them, × themselves, × thine own, × thou, through, × throwing, thumb, times, × to, × under, × us, × wait on, (way-) side, where, wide, × with (him, me, you), work, yield, × yourselves.
n.f — hand
יָד 1604 n.f. hand
1. hand
2. Fig. = strength, power
3. Fig. = side
4. יָד is used in various special, technical senses:—
a. sign, monument
b. part, fractional part or share
c. time, repetition
d. axle-trees
e. stays, supports for laver
f. tenons on sides of boards of tabernacle
g. a (beckoning) hand
5. יַד with prep.
H3956
n-m — tongue
Derivation: or לָשֹׁן; also (in plural) feminine לְשֹׁנָה; from 3960;
the tongue (of man or animals), used literally (as the instrument of licking, eating, or speech), and figuratively (speech, an ingot, a fork of flame, a cove of water)
KJV: babbler, bay, evil speaker, language, talker, tongue, wedge.
n.m — tongue
לָשׁוֹן n.m. and (more oft.) f. tongue
1. tongue of men
2. = language
3. tongue of animals
4. tongue of fire
5. = (tongue-shaped) wedge of gold
6. = (tongue-shaped) bay of sea
H157
v — have affection
Derivation: or אָהֵב ; a primitive root;
to have affection for (sexually or otherwise)
KJV: (be-) love(-d, -ly, -r), like, friend.
vb — love
אָהֵב 216 vb. love
Qal
1. human love to human object
2. less oft. of appetite
3. love to God
4. esp. Pt.
5. of divine love
Niph. Pt. pl. lovely, loveable
Pi.
1. friends
2. lovers
H398
v — eat
Derivation: a primitive root;
to eat (literally or figuratively)
KJV: × at all, burn up, consume, devour(-er, up), dine, eat(-er, up), feed (with), food, × freely, × in...wise(-deed, plenty), (lay) meat, × quite.
vb — eat
אָכַל 806 vb. eat
Qal
1. eat, human subject
2. of beasts, birds, etc., eat, devour
3. fig. of fire, devour, consume
4. of sword, devour, slay
5. in genl., devour, consume, destroy
6. fig. of oppression, devour the poor
Niph.
1. be eaten by man
2. be devoured by fire, consumed
3. be wasted, destroyed, of flesh
Pu. be consumed
Hiph.
1. cause to eat, feed with
2. cause to devoure, obj. sword
H6529
n-m — fruit
Derivation: from 6509;
fruit (literally or figuratively)
KJV: bough, (first-)fruit(-ful), reward.
n.m — fruit
פְּרִי 119 n.m. fruit
1. fruit of the ground, of produce in gen.
2. = offspring, fruit of womb
3. fig. of fruit of actions, i.e. their consequences
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Verse 21
Proverbs 18:21
Note, 1. A man may do a great deal of good, or a great deal of hurt, both to others and to himself, according to the use he makes of his tongue. Many a one has been his own death by a foul tongue, or the death of others by a false tongue; and, on the contrary, many a one has saved his own life, or procured the comfort of it, by a prudent gentle tongue, and saved the lives of others by a seasonable testimony or intercession for them. And, if by our words we must be justified or condemned, death and life are, no doubt, in the power of the tongue. Tongues were Aesop's best meat, and his worst. 2. Men's words will be judged of by the affections with which they speak; he that not only speaks aright (which a bad man may do to save his credit or please his company), but loves to speak so, speaks well of choice, and with delight, to him it will be life; and he that not only speaks amiss (which a good man may do through inadvertency), but loves to speak so (Psa 52:4), to him it will be death. As men love it they shall eat the fruit of it.
Cross-references: Ps 52:4