Proverbs 12:14

14 A man will be 1satisfied with good by the fruit of his words, And the 2deeds of a man's hands will return to him.

Proverbs 12:14 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 12:14

A man shall be satisfied with good by the fruit of [his]
mouth
The wholesome advice, the good instruction, and sound doctrine he delivers to others, which are the fruit of his lips, and come forth by them from his heart; these redound to his own advantage, are not only a satisfaction to his mind upon reflection, but because of these he is filled with good things, even to satiety, both in this life and that to come; see ( 1 Timothy 4:6 ) ; or a "man shall be satisfied with good from the fruit of the mouth"; or "be satisfied from the fruit of the mouth of a man" F26; that is, of another man; either of a private man, by his prayers, by the account he gives of his own experience, by the conversation he has with him about the truths of the Gospel; or of a faithful minister of the word, who is the means of feeding the souls of men with good things, even to satisfaction, with the wholesome words of our Lord Jesus Christ, with the sincere milk of the word, with the bread of life, even with the finest of the wheat; and the recompence of a man's hand shall be rendered unto him;
if his words turn to his account, much more his works; if he is filled with good things for the sake of the one, much more will he be recompensed in a way of grace on account of the other; and not for the one without the other, nor for words without works: or "the recompence of a man's hands", or of his works which his hands do, "he shall render to him" {a}; that is, God, who renders to every man according to his works; which serves not to establish the doctrine of merit, but to show the goodness and grace of God in taking notice of and accepting the imperfect works of men through Christ, and for his sake.


FOOTNOTES:

F26 (vya yp yrpm) "de fructu oris viri", Pagninus, Montanus, Mercerus, Schultens.
F1 (wl bwvy) "reddet ei", Pagninus, Montanus, Mercerus, Gejerus, Michaelis; "restituet ei", Munster, so Aben Ezra; "ei refundet", Schultens.

Proverbs 12:14 In-Context

12 The wicked man desires the booty of evil men, But the root of the righteous yields fruit.
13 An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, But the righteous will escape from trouble.
14 A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his words, And the deeds of a man's hands will return to him.
15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But a wise man is he who listens to counsel.
16 A fool's anger is known at once, But a prudent man conceals dishonor.

Cross References 2

  • 1. Proverbs 13:2; Proverbs 15:23; Proverbs 18:20
  • 2. Job 34:11; Proverbs 1:31; Proverbs 24:12; Isaiah 3:10, 11; Hosea 4:9

Footnotes 1

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