The heart of the righteous studieth to answer
He thinks before he speaks, meditates what he shall say, what answer to give to men; whether in things civil, natural, or religious; and what to return to the Lord when he is reproved by him; or what to say in prayer to him, or by way of thankfulness for mercies received from him; see ( Proverbs 3:6 ) ( Habakkuk 2:1 ) ; though our Lord advises his disciples, when summoned before their persecutors, not to meditate beforehand what they should answer, since they should have immediate assistance, ( Luke 21:14 ) ; but this was in extraordinary cases; in common ones the observation of the wise man should be attended to. A Jewish F21 writer renders the words, "the heart of the righteous meditates wormwood", or bitter things; see ( Proverbs 5:4 ) ; as the judgment of God, death, and hell; this sense is mentioned by Aben Ezra, but rejected; but the mouth of the wicked poureth out evil things;
without any previous thought and consideration, without fear or wit; in great abundance, as water out of a fountain; thus an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil things readily and at once, having no concern about the consequences of things, ( Matthew 12:25 ) ; (See Gill on Proverbs 15:2).