Proverbs 15:28 (LSB)

Passage

The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil things.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 15:26 Evil thoughts are an abomination to Yahweh, But pleasant words are pure.

Proverbs 15:27 He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house, But he who hates gifts of bribery will live.

Proverbs 15:28 The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil things.

Proverbs 15:29 Yahweh is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.

Proverbs 15:30 Bright eyes gladden the heart; A good report puts fat on the bones.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "heart", "righteous", "ponders", "answer", "mouth", "wicked", "pours", and "forth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "heart" and "righteous", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 27's "He who is greedy for gain troubles..." into verse 29's "Yahweh is far from the wicked But...", so "heart" and "righteous" 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 "heart" and "righteous" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.