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Selected Verse: Proverbs 25:15 - King James
| Verse |
Translation |
Text |
| Pr 25:15 |
King James |
By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone. |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
| A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
Gentleness and kindness overcome the most powerful and obstinate.
long forbearing--or, "slowness to anger" (Pro 14:29; Pro 15:18). |
| Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834] |
| A soft tongue - Winning and gentle speech does what it seems at first least capable of doing; it overcomes obstacles which are as bones that the strongest jaws would fail to crush. |
| Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78] |
Three proverbs follow, which have this in common, that they exhort to moderation:
15 By forbearance is a judge won over,
And a gentle tongue breaketh the bone.
קצין (vid., Pro 6:7) does not denote any kind of distinguished person, but a judge or a person occupying a high official position. And פּתּה does not here mean, to talk over or delude; but, like Jer 20:7, to persuade, to win over, to make favourable to one; for ארך אפּים (vid., Pro 14:29) is dispassionate calmness, not breaking out into wrath, which finally makes it manifest that he who has become the object of accusation, suspicion, or of disgrace, is one who nevertheless has right on his side; for indecent, boisterous passion injures even a just cause; while, on the contrary, a quiet, composed, thoughtful behaviour, which is not embarrassed by injustice, either experienced or threatened, in the end secures a decision in our favour. "Patience overcomes" is an old saying. The soft, gentle tongue (cf. רך, Pro 15:1) is the opposite of a passionate, sharp, coarse one, which only the more increases the resistance which it seeks to overcome. "Patience," says a German proverb, "breaks iron;" another says, "Patience is stronger than a diamond." So here: a gentle tongue breaketh the bone (גּרם = עצם, as at Pro 17:22), it softens and breaks to pieces that which is hardest. Sudden anger makes the evil still worse; long-suffering, on the contrary, operates convincingly; cutting, immoderate language, embitters and drives away; gentle words, on the contrary, persuade, if not immediately, yet by this, that they remain as it were unchangeable. |
| Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
| Forbearing - By patient submission and expectation. Breaketh - Softens the hardest heart. |
| Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
| A soft tongue breaketh the bone - This is similar to another proverb on the same subject: "A soft answer turneth away wrath." An angry word does nothing but mischief. |
18 A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.
29 He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.
22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.
1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
29 He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.
7 O LORD, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me.
7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler,