Proverbs 11:13
in Proverbs 11A gossip reveals a secret, but a trustworthy person keeps a confidence.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He that goeth about as a tale-bearer revealeth secrets; But he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth a matter.
KJV
A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.
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This verse in Proverbs 11
Commentary
3 notes on this verse"He who walks prudently reveals secrets," etc. And the Lord in the Gospel, "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone; if he listens to you, you have gained your brother," etc. (Matt. XVIII). From this, …
This site's exposition
He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbour
on Proverbs 11:12-14
He that is void of wisdom despiseth his neighbour while the man of understanding holds his peace, and the contrast sets up the next verse's specific case: the talebearer reveals secrets that a faithful spirit conceals. Where no counsel is the people fall, but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety, a proverb the bench applies to nations and households alike, since both stand or fall on whether wise voices are heard before decisions are made.
The record, by era
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The man who comes to us with tales about others will reveal our secrets also. Faithfulness is shown, not only in doing what a man has been commissioned to do, but in doing it quietly and without garrulity.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
but a man of understanding is silent when the one devoid of sense despises him, like Saul, as it is written (I Sam.:27): “And they despised him and brought him no gift; and he was as one who kept his peace.”
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
Without strategy When trouble befalls Israel, and they do not put their heart to understand, to fast and to repent, the people will fall.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 1 further source is cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הוֹלֵ֣ךְ | holekh | [one who] goes about | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| רָ֭כִיל | rakhil | a slanderer | H7400 → | |
| מְגַלֶּה־ | megaleh- | [is] revealing | H1540 → | 186 times |
| סּ֑וֹד | sod | a secret | H5475 → | 21 times |
| וְנֶאֱמַן־ | veneeman- | and a [person] faithful of | H539 → | 106 times |
| ר֝֗וּחַ | ruach | spirit | H7307 → | 378 times |
| מְכַסֶּ֥ה | mekhaseh | [is] concealing | H3680 → | 152 times |
| דָבָֽר׃ | davar | a matter | H1697 → | 1440 times |
הוֹלֵ֣ךְ[one who] goes about
holekhH1980 →1546 times
רָ֭כִילa slanderer
rakhilH7400 →
מְגַלֶּה־[is] revealing
megaleh-H1540 →186 times
סּ֑וֹדa secret
sodH5475 →21 times
וְנֶאֱמַן־and a [person] faithful of
veneeman-H539 →106 times
ר֝֗וּחַspirit
ruachH7307 →378 times
מְכַסֶּ֥ה[is] concealing
mekhasehH3680 →152 times
דָבָֽר׃a matter
davarH1697 →1440 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Timothy 5:13At the same time they will also learn to be idle, going from house to house and being not only idle, but also gossips and busybodies, discussing things they should not mention.
it leads to
- Proverbs 20:19
He who reveals secrets is a constant gossip; avoid the one who babbles with his lips.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Leviticus 19:16
You must not go about spreading slander among your people. You must not endanger the life of your neighbor. I am the LORD.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Thessalonians 3:6–11
Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from any brother who leads an undisciplined life that is not in keeping with the tradition you received…
- Proverbs 31:27
She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.
- Proverbs 20:19
Through
Leviticus 19:16You must not go about spreading slander among your people. You must not endanger the life of your neighbor. I am the LORD.
it leads to
- Exodus 23:1
“You shall not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked by being a malicious witness.
- Exodus 23:7
Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty.
- Ezekiel 22:9
Among you are slanderous men bent on bloodshed; within you are those who eat on the mountain shrines and commit acts of indecency.
- Exodus 23:1
Through
Proverbs 20:19He who reveals secrets is a constant gossip; avoid the one who babbles with his lips.
it leads to
- Romans 16:18
For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
- Romans 16:18
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Proverbs
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Bede, Commentary on Proverbs; Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.