Proverbs 18:21 is the climactic verse among many verses in the book of Proverbs giving admonitions about the tongue and spoken words. In fact, the book of Proverbs provides more divinely inspired counsel about the tongue than all the other books of the Bible combined, since Proverbs is a book about practical wisdom, discretion and the fear of God. Unfortunately, Proverbs 18:21 has been overspiritualized, distorted and misapplied by the Word of Faith Movement and various New Age metaphysical cults that teach positive confession, visualization and the law of attraction, thus causing many people to hold misconceptions about this verse. The verse has nothing to do with using occultic metaphysical powers to control one's reality, nor does it have anything to do with usurping God's sovereign role of using words to create things out of nothing (creation ex nihilo). The implications of Proverbs 18:21 are moral and spiritual, not metaphysical. In order to be properly applied in everyday life, Proverbs 18:21 must be interpreted primarily within the context of everything Solomon said about the tongue and spoken words in the entire book of Proverbs. Actually, Proverbs 18:21 serves as an encouragement to those who use their tongue for good, and as a stern warning to those who use their tongue for evil.
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Breakdown of Proverbs 18:21
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." --- PROVERBS 18:21 (KJV)
DEATH – The Hebrew word is maveth (מָ֫וֶת) meaning "deadly," "death," "dead" or "die." It can also refer to curses, problems, troubles, calamities, personal enemies or adverse circumstances that may be damaging, painful or life-threatening. People who misuse their tongue have difficulty maintaining relationships and they may have many enemies.
LIFE – The Hebrew word is chay (חַי) meaning "age," "life," "alive," "living," "company," "congregation," "lifetime" or "lively." It can also be indicative of blessings, well-being and favorable circumstances that sustain life, along with successful social connections and favor among people. Proper use of the tongue maintains all things pertaining to life, not death.
POWER – The Hebrew word is be'yad (בְּיַד) meaning "in the hand of," "by the hand of," "through," "under the direction of," "in the power of" or "under the control of." This means that a person's tongue or spoken words have enormous power to shape their own life's circumstances and their own destiny, but that same person's words can also affect the circumstances and destiny of other people. The entire landscape of a person's life, including their associations and external circumstances, is affected by the words they speak. Negative words make things negative, and positive words make things positive. Also the whole fabric of a person's heart, including their thoughts, emotions and mental attitudes, is shaped by the very words they speak to themselves through repetition. Speaking negative words to oneself will contribute to a negative attitude, but speaking positive words to oneself will contribute to a positive attitude. When it comes to the power of human words, it should be noted, however, that the power of human words is not absolute. Only Almighty God's words have absolute power, as God's counsel always stands and He does whatever He pleases (Isaiah 46:10, 11). Statements like "Hear the word of the LORD" (Jeremiah 31:10) and "Thus saith the LORD" (Jeremiah 31:37) signify that the words of Almighty God take absolute precedence over the words of all created beings, since the word of God is always true and is always brought to fruition by God Himself (Isaiah 55:11; Jeremiah 1:12; Romans 3:4).
TONGUE – The Hebrew word is lashon (לָשׁוֹן), which refers to the tongue; that is, the organ in the mouth that one uses to speak words, or the ability or tendency to speak forth words from the mouth. The word lashon can also refer to language, spoken words, talker, babbler, evil speaker, or wedge. James 3:1-10 elaborates on the dangerous and untameable nature of the tongue. The tongue is so intertwined with humanity's sinful nature that it is easier to sin through one's words than it is to sin through one's actions. Words are a reliable indicator of a person's heart condition since the mouth speaks out whatever the heart is filled with (Matthew 12:34, 35; Proverbs 18:4). Human beings cannot tame the tongue but God can tame it (James 3:8; Psalm 141:2, 3). The only way a person can begin to tame their tongue is through a heart and conscience that have been regenerated by the Word and the Holy Spirit of God (1 Peter 2:1-3; Ephesians 4:29-31; Ezekiel 36:25-27). To bridle your tongue, give God the reins of your heart.
THEY (THOSE) – In Proverbs 18:21, this plural pronoun refers all the people who delight in speaking with their tongue.
LOVE – The Hebrew verb used is aheb (אָהַב) meaning "to love," "to like," "to have affection for," "to hold dearly as a beloved," or "to claim as a friend." The word aheb, in the most negative extreme, can also mean "obsession" or "compulsion." A person can love and enjoy communicating with words in conversation, and verbal communication can be enjoyable, but the person must use practical wisdom and discretion to maintain good speaking habits that benefit self and others (Proverbs 12:18; 15:1, 4; 16:24; 19:5, 9). A person must not be so compulsive with speech to the point of being careless or too hasty with words because it leads to trouble (Proverbs 29:20; James 1:19). Sin is present among a multitude of words, but maintaining discretion and self-control minimizes sin (Proverbs 10:19; Ecclesiastes 5:2). The importance of controlling the untameable tongue is probably why the Greek Septuagint says "they who get the mastery over it" instead of "they that love it" at Proverbs 18:21.
IT – In Proverbs 18:21, this singular neuter pronoun refers to the tongue, or to speech in general.
SHALL – This linking verb is synonymous with the linking verb WILL, which signifies a guarantee or certainty of occurrence in the future tense.
EAT – The Hebrew verb used is akal (אָכַל) meaning "to eat," "to dine," "to consume," "to devour," "to burn up," or "to feed upon." Since no one can literally "eat" words or the results their words produce, the word "eat" in Proverbs 18:21 poetically means "to partake of," "to absorb," "to enjoy" or "to take in" something (or its effects) into one's life. Examples include Proverbs 1:31, where the wicked "eat the fruit of their own ways" (partake of the consequences of their sinful ways), or Proverbs 4:17, where sinners "eat the bread of wickedness" (partake of wicked practices); or Proverbs 13:2, where a wise man shall "eat good" (enjoy goodness), and Proverbs 31:27, where the virtuous woman refuses to "eat the bread of idleness" (refusing to take into her life the habit of idleness and its bad consequences).
FRUIT – The Hebrew word is peri (פֶּ֫רִי) meaning "fruit," "fruitfulness," "produce," "firstfruits," "bough," "wages," "consequences" or "reward." Fruit refers to the results, rewards or consequences that a person receives for their words and actions. The good or bad nature of the person's words and actions will determine the rewards or consequences. Good people will eat the fruit of their deeds (Isaiah 3:10), and wicked people will eat the fruit of their own ways (Proverbs 1:31). As the sovereign judge, God will render to each person according to the fruit of their deeds (Jeremiah 17:10; Romans 2:5, 6). Words are part of the basis for divine judgment. Jesus said that a person will give an account for every idle, worthless or careless word they have spoken; they will either be justified or condemned by their words (Matthew 12:36, 37). If a person uses their tongue for good, they will enjoy good rewards as fruit, but if a person uses their tongue for evil, they will partake of terrible consequences as fruit. However, it should be noted that, despite the enormous power of a person's words, that power is not absolute. Only the sovereign God is absolute, and He creates, permits or restrains things according to the counsel of His own sovereign will (Ephesians 1:11; Matthew 6:10; Luke 22:42). Therefore a person's words will bear fruit only within the bounds of God's decretive, preceptive or permissive will (James 4:13-16).
The eternal God is ultimately in control over everything, and the counsel of His perfect will stands only for righteousness and holiness. God is not a genie that grants every wish, nor is the Holy Spirit a contributing partner in the sin, corruption and wicked schemes of men. All of creation, including angels and humans, must understand, accept and respect the will of God and humbly submit to it in order to be truly blessed. "Many plans are in a man's heart, but the counsel of the LORD will stand." (Proverbs 19:21). The apostle Paul said to the Church of Philippi, "And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19). Notice Paul said God will supply "all your needs," instead of "all your wants" because some human wants are either sinful or not in agreement with God's perfect will. The apostle Peter said, "For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil." (1 Peter 3:17). The apostle John stated, "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, He hears us." (1 John 5:14). All of this is contrary to the humanistic, materialistic and occultic false gospels that distort the truth about faith and words.
THEREOF – This Archaic English adverb refers to the good or bad fruit yielded by one's tongue or speech.
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In closing, we must keep in mind that, as Christians, our bodies were bought by God with the price of Christ's blood, and our tongues are part of our purchased bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20). Therefore, we should honor God with our tongue by letting the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in God's sight (Psalm 19:14). Let us avoid using our tongue for evil practices, such as lying, gossiping, flattery, profane language and malicious talking that will anger or harm other people. Let us also avoid speaking negative words to our own minds that can destroy positive attitude. All of these practices will ultimately result in us eating the fruit of death instead of the fruit of life. As consecrated ambassadors for Christ, may our tongues and the words we speak be set apart in holiness to do the will of God, which includes proclaiming the Gospel and always speaking in ways that represent God's own character of love and justice (Ephesians 4:15, 29; Colossians 4:3-6). By doing this we will lead lost souls to Christ for salvation, bring blessing to ourselves and others, and glorify God in heaven.
