Proverbs 18:21

21 What you say can preserve life or destroy it; so you must accept the consequences of your words.

Proverbs 18:21 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 18:21

Death and life [are] in the power of the tongue
Of witnesses, according to the testimony they bear; of judges, according to the sentence they pass; of teachers, according to the doctrine they preach; of all men, who, by their well or ill speaking, bring death or life to themselves and others. Some, by their tongues, by the too free use of them, or falsehood they utter, are the cause of death to themselves and others; and some, by their silence, or by their prudent speech and prevalent intercession, secure or obtain life for themselves and others; yea, judgment at the last day will proceed according to a man's words, "By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned", ( Matthew 12:37 ) ; the tongue is the instrument either of a great deal of good, or of a great deal of evil; and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof;
that delight to be talkative; that love to use the tongue, whether in a good or in a bad way, shall accordingly be recompensed; shall enjoy the advantages or disadvantages arising from it.

Proverbs 18:21 In-Context

19 Help your relatives and they will protect you like a strong city wall, but if you quarrel with them, they will close their doors to you.

20 You will have to live with the consequences of everything you say.

21 What you say can preserve life or destroy it; so you must accept the consequences of your words.

22 Find a wife and you find a good thing; it shows that the Lord is good to you.

23 When the poor speak, they have to be polite, but when the rich answer, they are rude.