Proverbs 16:13 (GNV)

Passage

Righteous lips are the delite of Kings, and the King loueth him that speaketh right things.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 16:11 A true weight and balance are of the Lord: all the weightes of the bagge are his worke.

Proverbs 16:12 It is an abomination to Kings to commit wickednes: for the throne is stablished by iustice.

Proverbs 16:13 Righteous lips are the delite of Kings, and the King loueth him that speaketh right things.

Proverbs 16:14 The wrath of a King is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacifie it.

Proverbs 16:15 In the light of the Kings coutenance is life: and his fauour is as a cloude of the latter raine.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "righteous", "lips", "delite", "kings", "loueth", and "speaketh". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "righteous" and "lips", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "It is an abomination to Kings to..." into verse 14's "The wrath of a King is as...", so "righteous" and "lips" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "righteous" and "lips" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.