Proverbs 15:1 (KJV)

Passage

A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.

Proverbs 15:2 The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness.

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "soft", "answer", "turneth", "away", "wrath", "grievous", "words", and "stir". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "soft" and "answer", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "The tongue of the wise useth knowledge...", so "soft" 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 "soft" and "answer" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.