Proverbs 15:23 (WEB)

Passage

Joy comes to a man with the reply of his mouth. How good is a word at the right time!

Nearby Context

Proverbs 15:21 Folly is joy to one who is void of wisdom, but a man of understanding keeps his way straight.

Proverbs 15:22 Where there is no counsel, plans fail; but in a multitude of counselors they are established.

Proverbs 15:23 Joy comes to a man with the reply of his mouth. How good is a word at the right time!

Proverbs 15:24 The path of life leads upward for the wise, to keep him from going downward to Sheol.

Proverbs 15:25 Yahweh will uproot the house of the proud, but he will keep the widow’s borders intact.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "comes", "reply", "mouth", "good", "word", "right", and "time". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "comes" and "reply", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "Where there is no counsel plans fail..." into verse 24's "The path of life leads upward for...", so "comes" and "reply" 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 "comes" and "reply" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.