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23 A wise person’s heart[a] makes his speech wise[b]
and it adds persuasiveness[c] to his words.[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 16:23 tn Or “mind” (cf. NCV, NRSV, NLT).
  2. Proverbs 16:23 tn Heb “makes wise his mouth,” with “mouth” being a metonymy of cause for what is said: “speech.”
  3. Proverbs 16:23 sn Those who are wise say wise things. The proverb uses synthetic parallelism: The first line asserts that the wise heart ensures that what is said is wise, and the second line adds that such a person increases the reception of what is said.
  4. Proverbs 16:23 tn Heb “to his lips.” The term “lips” functions as a metonymy of cause for what is said.