Proverbs 15:1 (LSB)

Passage

A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 15:1 A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15:2 The tongue of the wise makes knowledge look good, But the mouth of fools pours forth folly.

Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of Yahweh are in every place, Watching the evil and the good.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "gentle", "answer", "turns", "away", "wrath", "harsh", "word", and "stirs". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "gentle" and "answer", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "The tongue of the wise makes knowledge...", so "gentle" and "answer" should be read forward into that movement. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

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