Chapter
Verse

Proverbs 8:8

ESV All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.
NIV All the words of my mouth are just; none of them is crooked or perverse.
NASB All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; There is nothing crooked or perverted in them.
CSB All the words from my mouth are righteous; none of them are deceptive or perverse.
NLT My advice is wholesome. There is nothing devious or crooked in it.
KJV All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing froward or perverse in them.
NKJV All the words of my mouth are with righteousness; Nothing crooked or perverse is in them.

What does Proverbs 8:8 mean?

In this passage, Solomon has poetically imagined a woman, the embodiment of wisdom, speaking to anyone who will hear (Proverbs 8:1–3). In the prior verse, this personification of godly wisdom claimed to speak only truth and moral goodness (Proverbs 8:7). The term translated "twisted" is used elsewhere in Scripture to imply sins like deceit, lying, and fraud (Job 5:13). It implies something warped from the way it ought to be, as a liar's words are "twisted" around. The word rendered in English as "crooked" can also be translated as "perverted," and implies a similar mangling of words and intentions (Proverbs 2:15). Godly wisdom, in contrast, contains nothing that deviates from reality. As an expression of God's own perfection (Proverbs 8:22), true wisdom is never incorrect and never deceptive, though it might require careful effort to fully understand (Proverbs 8:17). Once a person gains that level of understanding, godly wisdom seems straightforward and obvious (Proverbs 8:9).
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