Provérbios 15

ARC · Chapter 15/31

1A resposta branda desvia o furor, mas a palavra de dôr suscita a ira.

2A lingua dos sabios adorna a sabedoria, mas a bocca dos tolos derrama a estulticia.

3Os olhos do Senhor estão em todo o logar, contemplando os maus e os bons.

4A medicina da lingua é arvore de vida, mas a perversidade n'ella quebranta o espirito.

5O tolo despreza a correcção de seu pae, mas o que observa a reprehensão prudentemente se haverá.

6Na casa do justo ha um grande thesouro, mas nos fructos do impio ha perturbação.

7Os labios dos sabios derramarão o conhecimento, mas o coração dos tolos não fará assim.

8O sacrificio dos impios é abominavel ao Senhor, mas a oração dos rectos é o seu contentamento.

9O caminho do impio é abominavel ao Senhor, mas ao que segue a justiça amará.

10Correcção molesta ha para o que deixa a vereda, e o que aborrece a reprehensão morrerá.

11O inferno e a perdição estão perante o Senhor: quanto mais os corações dos filhos dos homens?

12Não ama o escarnecedor aquelle que o reprehende, nem se chegará aos sabios.

13O coração alegre aformosea o rosto, mas pela dôr do coração o espirito se abate.

14O coração entendido buscará o conhecimento, mas a bocca dos tolos se apascentará de estulticia.

15Todos os dias do opprimido são maus, mas o coração alegre é um banquete continuo.

16Melhor é o pouco com o temor do Senhor, do que um grande thesouro, onde ha inquietação.

17Melhor é a comida de hortaliça, onde ha amor, do que o boi cevado, e com elle o odio.

18O homem iracundo suscita contendas, mas o longanimo apaziguará a lucta.

19O caminho do preguiçoso é como a sebe d'espinhos, mas a vereda dos rectos está bem egualada.

20O filho sabio alegrará a seu pae, mas o homem insensato despreza a sua mãe.

21A estulticia é alegria para o que carece d'entendimento, mas o homem entendido anda rectamente.

22Os pensamentos se dissipam, quando não ha conselho, mas com a multidão de conselheiros se confirmarão.

23O homem se alegra na resposta da sua bocca, e a palavra a seu tempo quão boa é!

24Para o entendido, o caminho da vida vae para cima, para que se desvie do inferno de baixo.

25O Senhor arrancará a casa dos soberbos, mas estabelecerá o termo da viuva.

26Abominaveis são ao Senhor os pensamentos do mau, mas as palavras dos limpos são apraziveis.

27O que exercita avareza perturba a sua casa, mas o que aborrece presentes viverá.

28O coração do justo medita o que ha de responder, mas a bocca dos impios derrama em abundancia coisas más.

29Longe está o Senhor dos impios, mas escutará a oração dos justos.

30A luz dos olhos alegra o coração, a boa fama engorda os ossos.

31Os ouvidos que escutam a reprehensão da vida no meio dos sabios farão a sua morada.

32O que rejeita a correcção menospreza a sua alma, mas o que escuta a reprehensão adquire entendimento.

33O temor do Senhor é a correcção da sabedoria, e diante da honra vae a humildade.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

Proverbs teaches that a soft answer turns away wrath, while a harsh word stirs up anger. The chapter highlights that the eyes of the Lord are in every place, and that a cheerful heart is like a continual feast.

Explanation

The opening verse ("a soft answer turneth away wrath") is one of the book's most practical and often-quoted principles of communication, teaching that the tone of a reply — not just its content — determines whether a conflict escalates or is resolved. The statement that "the eyes of the LORD are in every place" (verse 3) reinforces divine omniscience as a constant ethical motivation, even in private situations where no one else is watching. Application for today: consciously choosing a calm tone when responding to provocation is a practical skill that prevents many needless conflicts.

Fun facts

  • The proverb "better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith" (verse 17) is one of the Bible's earliest expressions of the idea that the quality of relationships matters more than material luxury — a theme Jesus later takes up in contexts of hospitality.
  • The phrase "before honour is humility" (verse 33), repeated almost identically in 18:12, forms another matching pair within the book that scholars use to identify themes the compilers considered central.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Provérbios 15:1Notes that a calm answer can defuse an argument, while a harsh word only makes things worse — tone of voice matters as much as content.
  2. Provérbios 15:2Compares the speech of the wise, which enriches knowledge with good word choices, with the mouth of the fool, which spreads nonsense carelessly.
  3. Provérbios 15:3Notes that God sees everything, good and evil, everywhere — nothing anyone does goes unnoticed, even when it seems far removed from any judgment.
  4. Provérbios 15:4Compares healing speech, compared to a tree of life, with perverse speech, which breaks the spirit of whoever hears it — words have the power to heal or to wound deeply.
  5. Provérbios 15:5Contrasts the fool, who despises his father’s correction, with whoever values rebuke, acting more prudently because of it.
  6. Provérbios 15:6Notes that the house of the righteous holds real, stable wealth, while even what the wicked gain comes mixed with trouble and instability.
  7. Provérbios 15:7Compares the lips of the wise, which spread knowledge generously, with the heart of the fool, which lacks that same willingness to share anything of value.
  8. Provérbios 15:8Notes that empty religious rituals, coming from those who do wrong, do not please God, while the sincere prayer of the righteous is what He truly values.
  9. Provérbios 15:9Repeats the previous theme more broadly: the whole way of life of the wicked displeases God, while whoever pursues righteousness receives His love.
  10. Provérbios 15:10Notes that whoever abandons the right path faces harsh correction, and whoever hates being rebuked, in the book’s reasoning, walks straight toward his own ruin.
  11. Provérbios 15:11‘Hell’ here translates Sheol, the Hebrew word for the realm of the dead — it is not the fiery hell of later imagination, but more an idea of depth and mystery, the most hidden place there is. The proverb’s point is that if even that place is visible to God, so is the human heart.
  12. Provérbios 15:12Describes the scoffer as someone who avoids whoever corrects him and also avoids the company of the wise — he stays away from exactly the people who could help him change.
  13. Provérbios 15:13Notes that emotional state shows up on the face — joy brightens it, sorrow weighs it down — linking inner well-being to an outward, visible expression.
  14. Provérbios 15:14Compares whoever has discernment, always seeking more knowledge, with the fool, who is content to feed on his own folly.
  15. Provérbios 15:15Notes that whoever lives oppressed faces constant hardship, while a cheerful heart can turn even ordinary daily life into a kind of continual celebration.
  16. Provérbios 15:16Compares little money lived with reverence for God, which brings peace, with great wealth accompanied by turmoil — the value of peace outweighs that of material abundance alone.
  17. Provérbios 15:17The ‘stalled ox’ was festival meat, reserved for special occasions — the most expensive dish on the table, set against what would be the simplest, cheapest food. The comparison uses that contrast in abundance to talk about the atmosphere of the meal, not the food itself.
  18. Provérbios 15:18Contrasts whoever gets irritated easily, stirring up quarrels, with whoever has patience, able to calm a conflict before it grows.
  19. Provérbios 15:19A ‘hedge of thorns’ was a living fence made of thorny bushes, common for marking off land at the time — walking through one was literally painful and full of obstacles. The image describes how every task looks impossibly hard to someone who has already decided he does not want to do anything.
  20. Provérbios 15:20Repeats the theme already seen in chapter 10: a wise son brings joy to his parents, while the foolish one even shows contempt for his own mother.
  21. Provérbios 15:21Compares whoever lacks judgment, who finds pleasure in his own folly, with whoever has understanding, whose path reflects sounder decisions.
  22. Provérbios 15:22Notes that plans made without consulting anyone tend to fail, while having several counselors helps make decisions more solid — the same idea as in chapter 11.
  23. Provérbios 15:23Describes the satisfaction of giving a good answer in conversation, and highlights the special value of a word spoken at exactly the right moment.
  24. Provérbios 15:24Describes the path of whoever has understanding as an upward trajectory, moving away from what the text calls hell — Sheol — further below, a metaphor of life rising versus death sinking.
  25. Provérbios 15:25Notes that God tears down the house of the proud, but protects and secures the rights of the widow, someone socially vulnerable at the time.
  26. Provérbios 15:26Compares wicked thoughts, rejected by God, with the words of whoever has a clean conscience, which He considers pleasant.
  27. Provérbios 15:27Notes that greed destabilizes the very household of whoever practices it, while whoever refuses to be corrupted by bribes has a more secure life.
  28. Provérbios 15:28Compares the righteous, who think before answering, with the wicked, who blurt out anything without a filter — care in answering is a sign of maturity.
  29. Provérbios 15:29Notes that God distances Himself from the wicked, but listens closely to the prayer of the righteous — spiritual closeness is tied to the character of the one praying.
  30. Provérbios 15:30Describes how good news or a cheerful look brings visible well-being, and how a good reputation also contributes to a person’s health and spirit.
  31. Provérbios 15:31Notes that whoever accepts hearing corrections that help him live better earns a place among the wise.
  32. Provérbios 15:32Compares whoever rejects correction, harming himself out of pride, with whoever accepts rebuke, gaining more discernment as a result.
  33. Provérbios 15:33Closes the chapter by returning to the theme from the beginning of the book, in 1:7 — reverence for God is not just the starting point, it is also what keeps correcting and adjusting a person’s wisdom along the way. The order between humility and honor here is a pattern that repeats in 16:18 and 18:12.

Chapters

Our apps

Our apps →

Bible in Stories

The Bible told as a story, with audio and videos.

📱 Get the app

World in Stories

True stories of humanity that sound made up.

Feito! Pequenas Vitórias

A light daily routine for people who lose track of the day.