HomeLog inTodaySubscriptionVerse LibraryApproachAboutPrivacy中文English
← Back to Library

Proverbs 15:1

箴言 15:1

The Passage

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

In the other language

回答柔和，使怒消退；言语暴戾，触动怒气。

Theme

Gentle answers

Bring a question to this passage

Many readers arrive here from a real question. These are reflections for how this passage speaks to the questions people bring most often — not an answer about what will happen, but an invitation to sit with it slowly.

How do I face this season of pressure at work?

Under strain, a sharp reply can arrive before you have considered what you want to say. This proverb notices how words shape conflict: gentleness can turn anger aside, while harshness stirs it up. It is wisdom for your manner of speaking, not a guarantee that a colleague will respond reasonably. A gentle answer can still be clear about a missed deadline, an unfair demand, or a boundary you need to name. You do not have to choose between aggression and silence. Before the next difficult conversation, you might pause long enough to separate your concern from your irritation. What would a truthful, gentle answer sound like in that conversation?

Carry thisA gentle answer can carry both honesty and a boundary.

Other passages for this questionGenesis 1:26-28 · Isaiah 40:31 · 2 Corinthians 10:2-6

I want to learn to love better in this relationship.

Your answer has a tone as well as a meaning. This proverb draws attention to that difference: gentleness can quiet anger, while harshness adds to it. It is wisdom about the power of speech, not a guarantee that another person will respond calmly. You remain responsible for how you speak, not for controlling their reaction. Learning to love better might begin with noticing the moment when you want your words to wound, win, or punish. A gentle answer can still be clear, truthful, and firm. You need not surrender what matters in order to speak without contempt. When you feel the urge to wound or win with your words, what might help you answer gently without hiding what matters?

Carry thisGentleness can hold truth without turning it into a weapon.

Other passages for this questionGenesis 1:26-28 · Isaiah 40:31 · 2 Corinthians 10:2-6

What do I need to let go of in the coming weeks?

A gentle answer and a harsh word can carry the same concern in very different ways. This proverb draws attention to how speech can soften or stir anger; it is not a guarantee that gentleness can control another person's response. As you consider what to release, you might notice the need to win the exchange, deliver the last word, or make hurt heard through sharpness. Gentleness need not surrender truth or remove a boundary. It invites you to speak without adding injury to what is already difficult. In which conversation are you holding onto a harshness that your honest concern does not require?

Carry thisGentleness can hold the truth without adding injury.

Other passages for this questionGenesis 1:26-28 · Isaiah 40:31 · 2 Corinthians 10:2-6

How can I find stillness in a busy life?

Before an answer leaves your mouth, there may be room for a pause. This proverb is about speech and anger rather than finding quiet in a crowded schedule, but it offers a way to practice stillness within an ordinary exchange. It contrasts the effect of a gentle answer with the way harsh words stir up anger. That wisdom is not a guarantee that another person will respond well. It invites you to notice your own words when hurry makes them sharp. You can speak truth without adding unnecessary heat. Where might a brief pause help you answer with greater gentleness today?

Carry thisA pause can make room for truth spoken gently.

Other passages for this questionGenesis 1:26-28 · Isaiah 40:31 · 2 Corinthians 10:2-6

Have a different question?

Write what you are actually carrying right now, and Lectio will answer it with this passage — Proverbs 15:1.

Or walk this passage through the five steps of Lectio →

Proverbs 15 — in context

1A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

2The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of fools gush out folly.

3The LORD’s eyes are everywhere, keeping watch on the evil and the good.

4A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but deceit in it crushes the spirit.

5A fool despises his father’s correction, but he who heeds reproof shows prudence.

6In the house of the righteous is much treasure, but the income of the wicked brings trouble.

7The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so with the heart of fools.

More from Proverbs

Begin a Lectio reading

Log in

Continue with Google
or use email

Don't have an account? Sign up