Proverbs 16:13 (LSB)

Passage

Righteous lips are the delight of kings, And he who speaks uprightly is loved.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 16:11 A just balance and scales belong to Yahweh; All the weights of the bag are His work.

Proverbs 16:12 It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness, For in righteousness a throne is established.

Proverbs 16:13 Righteous lips are the delight of kings, And he who speaks uprightly is loved.

Proverbs 16:14 The wrath of a king is like messengers of death, But a wise man will atone for it.

Proverbs 16:15 In the light of a king’s face is life, And his favor is like a cloud with the late rain.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "light", "righteous", "lips", "delight", "kings", "speaks", "uprightly", and "loved". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "light" and "righteous", 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 for kings to..." into verse 14's "The wrath of a king is like...", so "light" 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 "light" and "righteous" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.