48 Bible Verses on Speaking

God cares about what kinds of words come out of our mouths. The Bible is full of wisdom and guidance on how to conduct our speech in a way that is glorifying to God and reflects our position in His family as His children. Read the verses below, especially the Proverbs, and learn what God has to say about the words we speak and how we say them.

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What Does the Bible Say About Speaking?

Old Testament

Genesis 1:3
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Job 23:12
I have not departed from the commandment of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.

Psalm 18:6
In my distress I called upon the Lord;
to my God I cried for help.
From his temple he heard my voice,
and my cry to him reached his ears.

Psalm 19:14
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in your sight,
O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 32:3
For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.

Psalm 33:6
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host.

Psalm 34:1
I will bless the Lord at all times;
his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

[Check out Redeeming How We Talk by Ken Wytsma and A. J. Swoboda for more on this topic.]

Psalm 34:15
Keep your tongue from evil
and your lips from speaking deceit.

Psalm 71:18
My mouth is filled with your praise,
and with your glory all the day.

Psalm 120:2
Deliver me, O Lord,
from lying lips,
from a deceitful tongue.

Psalm 139:4
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.

Proverbs 4:24
Put away from you crooked speech,
and put devious talk far from you.

Proverbs 10:19
When words are many, transgression is not lacking,
but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.

Proverbs 10:20
The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;
the heart of the wicked is of little worth.

Proverbs 10:32
The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,
but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse.

Proverbs 11:9
With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,
but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.

Proverbs 11:13
Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets,
but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.

Proverbs 12:22
Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
but those who act faithfully are his delight.

Proverbs 12:25
Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down,
but a good word makes him glad.

Proverbs 13:3
Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life;
he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

Proverbs 14:23
In all toil there is profit,
but mere talk tends only to poverty.

Proverbs 15:1
A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 15:4
A gentle tongue is a tree of life,
but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

Proverbs 15:23
To make an apt answer is a joy to a man,
and a word in season, how good it is!

Proverbs 16:24
Gracious words are like a honeycomb,
sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

Proverbs 17:7
Fine speech is not becoming to a fool;
still less is false speech to a prince.

Proverbs 17:28
Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise;
when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

Proverbs 18:2
A fool takes no pleasure in understanding,
but only in expressing his opinion.

Proverbs 18:6
A fool’s lips walk into a fight,
and his mouth invites a beating.

Proverbs 18:21
Death and life are in the power of the tongue,
and those who love it will eat its fruits.

Proverbs 31:8-9
Open your mouth for the mute,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Ecclesiastes 10:12
The words of a wise man’s mouth win him favor,
but the lips of a fool consume him.

Isaiah 55:11
So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

New Testament

Matthew 12:36
I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.

Matthew 18:15
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.

Mark 13:11
And when they bring you to trial and deliver you over, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say, but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.

Luke 6:45
The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Luke 12:3
Therefore whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light, and what you have whispered in private rooms shall be proclaimed on the housetops.

Romans 10:10
For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

1 Corinthians 13:1
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

Ephesians 4:29
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

[Check out How to Have a Better Relationship With Anybody by James Hilt for more on this topic.]

Colossians 4:5-6
Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

James 1:19
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.

James 3:2
For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body.

James 3:10
From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.

James 5:12
But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.

1 Peter 3:9
Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.