Proverbs 18:20 (LSB)

Passage

From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach will be satisfied; With the produce of his lips he will be satisfied.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 18:18 The cast lot puts an end to contentions And decides between the mighty ones.

Proverbs 18:19 A brother offended is harder to win over than a strong city, And contentions are like the bars of a citadel.

Proverbs 18:20 From the fruit of a man’s mouth his stomach will be satisfied; With the produce of his lips he will be satisfied.

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

Proverbs 18:22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing And obtains favor from Yahweh.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "fruit", "mouth", "stomach", "satisfied", "produce", and "lips". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "fruit" and "mouth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "A brother offended is harder to win..." into verse 21's "Death and life are in the power...", so "fruit" and "mouth" 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 "fruit" and "mouth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.