What Does The Bible Say About Fools Speaking?

What Does The Bible Say About Fools Speaking? The Bible clearly warns us against talking too much or being overly talkative. In fact, the Bible tells us that a fool can be recognized by his many words (Ecclesiastes 5:3). Ecclesiastes 10:14 adds that a fool “multiplies words.” Christians should understand that the Bible discourages the use of an abundance of words where a few would suffice. Proverbs 17:28 says, “Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.” Behold, those who feel compelled to give utterance to every thought in their heads usually end up in trouble. Proverbs 10:8 openly describes the overly talkative person as a “prating fool” (NKJV), a “babbling fool” (ESV, NASB), or a “chattering fool” (ISV) who is on his way to ruin. Such a person is contrasted with one who is “wise of heart.“

Talking too much leads to sin as we can read from Proverbs 10:19 that says, “When words are many, transgression is not lacking, but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.” Truthfully speaking, the wise person refuses to talk too much. Rather, he fears and honors the Lord God Almighty. He listens to the Lord and obeys His commands. He follows the example of Mary, “who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said” (Luke 10:39). It is important to understand that when our mouths are full of our own words, we have little time or interest in God’s words. Talking too much is a sign or a clear indication that we are listening too little. That is, we are more focused on passing a message than receiving one. As Christians, we should talk less and listen more.

What Does The Bible Say About Fools Speaking?

The Bible clearly makes us understand that restraining our lips is an indication of wisdom and humility. Talkative people often do not take the time between their many words to carefully and wisely choose what to say and what to hold back. Today’s modern culture offers numerous avenues through which we can express ourselves verbally. Cell phones, social media, blogs, and call-in radio all enable us to keep up a constant stream of chatter. But how much of our talking is really important or edifying? Ephesians 4:29 says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” Saying what really needs to be said is important, but talking too much easily leads to saying what should not be said.

From the different quotations of Apostle Peter in the gospels, it seems that he was a talkative person by nature. In one instance at least, Peter’s verbosity was ill-advised. While on the mount of transfiguration, Peter says to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what to say . . .)” (Mark 9:5–6). Here, we notice that Peter “did not know what to say,” so, of course, he said something! This is exactly what talkative people do. It is amazing how God rapidly silenced Peter by redirecting his focus: “A cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: ‘This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!’” (Mark 9:7). Notice that Peter’s talking had to be replaced with listening.

What The Scriptures Say

We are made to understand by the Scriptures that just as the overly talkative person displays foolishness, the one who holds his tongue demonstrates knowledge and understanding. Proverbs 17:27 says, “He who has knowledge spares his words, and a man of understanding is of a calm spirit.” We can’t gain knowledge if we are constantly talking, but understanding comes from listening and using our words sparingly. James 1:19 says, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak . . .”

Helpful Prayer To Stop Talking Too Much

As Christians, it is important for us to understand that talking too much is detrimental to our witness in the world, as Apostle James reminds us, “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless” (James 1:26). Apostle James later says that controlling the tongue is one of the hardest things to do, humanly speaking (James 3:2). In fact, “no human being can tame the tongue” (James 3:7). Amazingly, we have the Holy Spirit to help us with the task, and here is a Helpful Prayer To Stop Talking Too Much: “Set a guard over my mouth, LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips” (Psalm 141:3).

What Does The Bible Say About Fools Speaking?

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

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

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

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

Psalm 141:3 – “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips!“

Proverbs 21:23 – “Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble.”

Proverbs 29:20 – “Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.“

Ecclesiastes 5:2 – “Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few.”

Group 1 – What Does The Bible Say About Fools Speaking

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

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

Ecclesiastes 9:17 – “The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools.“

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

Proverbs 15:1-33 – “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. A fool despises his father’s instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent. …“

Ecclesiastes 5:7 – “For when dreams increase and words grow many, there is vanity; but God is the one you must fear.”

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Group 2 – What Does The Bible Say About Fools Speaking

James 3:2-11 – “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. If we put bits into the mouths of horses so that they obey us, we guide their whole bodies as well. Look at the ships also: though they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell. ...”

James 3:6 – “And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.”

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

Proverbs 17:27 – “Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.”

2 Timothy 2:16 – “But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness,“

Group 3 – What Does The Bible Say About Fools Speaking

Psalm 1:1-6 – “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; …“

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.”

Proverbs 30:32 – “If you have been foolish, exalting yourself, or if you have been devising evil, put your hand on your mouth.”

Proverbs 12:18 – “There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”

Amos 5:13 – “Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.”

Proverbs 20:19 – “Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets; therefore do not associate with a simple babbler.”

Group 4 – What Does The Bible Say About Fools Speaking

Ecclesiastes 5:1-3 – “Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few. For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words.”

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.”

Isaiah 58:13-14 – “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

John 10:10 – “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Group 5 – What Does The Bible Say About Fools Speaking

Psalm 141:3-4 – “Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips! Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies!“

Proverbs 29:11 – “A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.”

Matthew 5:37 – “Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.“

Psalm 147:1-20 – “Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting. The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. …“

Proverbs 6:2 – “If you are snared in the words of your mouth, caught in the words of your mouth,“

Group 6 – What Does The Bible Say About Fools Speaking

Amos 5:12-13 – “For I know how many are your transgressions and how great are your sins— you who afflict the righteous, who take a bribe, and turn aside the needy in the gate. Therefore he who is prudent will keep silent in such a time, for it is an evil time.”

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.”

Proverbs 3:5 – “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.“

Proverbs 26:4 – “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him yourself.“

Ecclesiastes 5:6 – “Let not your mouth lead you into sin, and do not say before the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands?“

Romans 3:13-14 – “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”

Group 7 – What Does The Bible Say About Fools Speaking

James 4:5-11 – “Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. …“

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

Romans 12:12 – “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

Matthew 12:36-37 – “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Ephesians 5:18 – “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,“

Colossians 3:23 – “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,“

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Group 8 – What Does The Bible Say About Fools Speaking

1 Corinthians 10:31 – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

Hebrews 4:13 – “And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.“

Romans 13:8 – “Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.“

Proverbs 23:9 – “Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the good sense of your words.”

James 1:26 – “If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.“

Proverbs 12:23 – “A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims folly.“

Ecclesiastes 5:3 – “For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words.”

Proverbs 18:8 – “The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels; they go down into the inner parts of the body.”

Group 9 – What Does The Bible Say About Fools Speaking

James 4:13-16 – “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”

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

Romans 7:7-25 – “What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. …“

Group 10 – What Does The Bible Say About Fools Speaking

1 Peter 5:7 – “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.“

Proverbs 10:14 – “The wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.“

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.”

Matthew 6:7 – “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.“

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.”

James 3:5 – “So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire!“

Proverbs 10:8 – “The wise of heart will receive commandments, but a babbling fool will come to ruin.”

Philippians 4:17 – “Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.”

Group 11 – What Does The Bible Say About Fools Speaking

Matthew 6:1-34 – “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. ...”

Proverbs 15:27 – “Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household, but he who hates bribes will live.“

Proverbs 20:1 – “Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.”

James 3:8 – “But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”

Psalm 37:21 – “The wicked borrows but does not pay back, but the righteous is generous and gives;“

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Group 12 – What Does The Bible Say About Fools Speaking

James 3:5-6 – “So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.”

Romans 8:28 – “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.“

1 Thessalonians 4:11 – “And to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you,”

Proverbs 6:24 – “To preserve you from the evil woman, from the smooth tongue of the adulteress.”

Proverbs 15:2 – “The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouths of fools pour out folly.“

Philippians 4:13 – “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.“

Philippians 4:11-13 – “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Group 13 – What Does The Bible Say About Fools Speaking

1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Exodus 23:12 – “Six days you shall do your work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed.”

Philippians 4:6 – “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.“

Proverbs 26:20 – “For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.“

Proverbs 27:12 – “The prudent sees danger and hides himself, but the simple go on and suffer for it.”

Psalm 34:13 – “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit.“

Proverbs 23:4-5 – “Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist. When your eyes light on it, it is gone, for suddenly it sprouts wings, flying like an eagle toward heaven.”

Group 14 – What Does The Bible Say About Fools Speaking

Proverbs 25:16 – “If you have found honey, eat only enough for you, lest you have your fill of it and vomit it.“

Proverbs 27:23 – “Know well the condition of your flocks, and give attention to your herds,”

James 3:11-12 – “Does a spring pour forth from the same opening both fresh and salt water? Can a fig tree, my brothers, bear olives, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a salt pond yield fresh water.”

Proverbs 17:9 – “Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.”

Matthew 6:25 – “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?“

Matthew 11:28 – “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.“

James 4:6 – But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

Group 15 – What Does The Bible Say About Fools Speaking

James 3:7 – “For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind,”

James 3:9-10 – “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.“

Mark 8:36 – “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?“

Luke 1:37 – “For nothing will be impossible with God.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Luke 6:35 – “But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.“

Galatians 5:23 – “Gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.“

Philippians 4:19 – “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”