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Proverbs 25:15

New American Standard Bible (NASB ©1995) [2]
— By forbearance a ruler may be persuaded, And a soft tongue breaks the bone.
King James Version (KJV 1769) [2]
— By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.
English Revised Version (ERV 1885)
— By long forbearing is a ruler persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.
American Standard Version (ASV 1901) [2]
— By long forbearing is a ruler persuaded, And a soft tongue breaketh the bone.
Webster's Revision of the KJB (WEB 1833)
— By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.
Darby's Translation (DBY 1890)
— By long forbearing is a ruler persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.
Rotherham's Emphasized Bible (EBR 1902)
— By long patience, is a judge persuaded, and, a soft tongue, breaketh the bone.
Young's Literal Translation (YLT 1898)
— By long-suffering is a ruler persuaded, And a soft tongue breaketh a bone.
Douay-Rheims Challoner Revision (DR 1750)
— By patience a prince shall be appeased, and a soft tongue shall break hardness.
Geneva Bible (GNV 1560)
— A Prince is pacified by staying of anger, and a soft tongue breaketh the bones.
Original King James Bible (AV 1611) [2]
— By long forbearing is a Prince perswaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.
Lamsa Bible (1957)
— By long forbearing, a ruler is persuaded; and a soft tongue breaks the bones.
Brenton Greek Septuagint (LXX, Restored Names)
— In long-suffering is prosperity to kings, and a soft tongue breaks the bones.
Full Hebrew Names / Holy Name KJV (2008) [2] [3]
— By long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.

Strong's Numbers & Hebrew NamesHebrew Old TestamentColor-Code/Key Word Studies
By long 753
{0753} Prime
אֹרֶךְ
'orek
{o'-rek}
From H0748; length.
forbearing 639
{0639} Prime
אַף
'aph
{af}
From H0599; properly the nose or nostril; hence the face, and occasionally a person; also (from the rapid breathing in passion) ire.
is a prince 7101
{7101} Prime
קָצִין
qatsiyn
{kaw-tseen'}
From H7096 in the sense of determining; a magistrate (as deciding) or other leader.
persuaded, 6601
{6601} Prime
פָּתָה
pathah
{paw-thaw'}
A primitive root; to open, that is, be (causatively make) roomy; usually figuratively (in a mental or moral sense) to be (causatively make) simple or (in a sinister way) delude.
z8792
<8792> Grammar
Stem - Pual (See H8849)
Mood - Imperfect (See H8811)
Count - 93
and a soft 7390
{7390} Prime
רַךְ
rak
{rak}
From H7401; tender (literally or figuratively); by implication weak.
tongue 3956
{3956} Prime
לָשׁוֹן
lashown
{law-shone'}
From H3960; the tongue (of man or animals), used literally (as the instrument of licking, eating, or speech), and figuratively (speech, an ingot, a fork of flame, a cove of water).
breaketh 7665
{7665} Prime
שָׁבַר
shabar
{shaw-bar'}
A primitive root; to burst (literally or figuratively).
z8799
<8799> Grammar
Stem - Qal (See H8851)
Mood - Imperfect (See H8811)
Count - 19885
the bone. 1634
{1634} Prime
גֶּרֶם
gerem
{gheh'-rem}
From H1633; a bone (as the skeleton of the body); hence self, that is, (figuratively) very.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary

Proverbs 25:15

_ _ Gentleness and kindness overcome the most powerful and obstinate.

_ _ long forbearing — or, “slowness to anger” (Proverbs 14:29; Proverbs 15:18).

Matthew Henry's Commentary

Proverbs 25:15

_ _ Two things are here recommended to us, in dealing with others, as likely means to gain our point: — 1. Patience, to bear a present heat without being put into a heat by it, and to wait for a fit opportunity to offer our reasons and to give persons time to consider them. By this means even a prince may be persuaded to do a thing which he seemed very averse to, much more a common person. That which is justice and reason now will be so another time, and therefore we need not urge them with violence now, but wait for a more convenient season. 2. Mildness, to speak without passion or provocation: A soft tongue breaks the bone; it mollifies the roughest spirits and overcomes those that are most morose, like lightning, which, they say, has sometimes broken the bone, and yet not pierced the flesh. Gideon with a soft tongue pacified the Ephraimites and Abigail turned away David's wrath. Hard words, we say, break no bones, and therefore we should bear them patiently; but, it seems, soft words do, and therefore we should, on all occasions, give them prudently.

John Wesley's Explanatory Notes

Proverbs 25:15

Forbearing — By patient submission and expectation. Breaketh — Softens the hardest heart.

Geneva Bible Translation Notes

Proverbs 25:15

By long (l) forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the (m) bone.

(l) By not creating opportunity to provoke him further.

(m) That is, the heart that is bent to anger, as in (Proverbs 15:1).

Cross-Reference Topical ResearchStrong's Concordance
long:

Proverbs 15:1 A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
Proverbs 16:14 The wrath of a king [is as] messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it.
Genesis 32:4-21 And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now: ... So went the present over before him: and himself lodged that night in the company.
1 Samuel 25:14 But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he railed on them.
1 Samuel 25:24-44 And fell at his feet, and said, Upon me, my lord, [upon] me [let this] iniquity [be]: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine audience, and hear the words of thine handmaid. ... But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Phalti the son of Laish, which [was] of Gallim.
Ecclesiastes 10:4 If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences.

the bone:
Rather, "a bone;" that is, soft and conciliating language will often accomplish the most difficult things.
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Chain-Reference Bible SearchCross References with Concordance

Gn 32:4. 1S 25:14, 24. Pv 15:1; 16:14. Ec 10:4.

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