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Read the Bible

Good News Translation

Proverbs 25:23

Gossip brings anger just as surely as the north wind brings rain.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Backbiting;   Countenance;   Meteorology and Celestial Phenomena;   Rain;   Slander;   Speaking;   Wind;   Thompson Chain Reference - Backbiting;   Evil;   Silence-Speech;   Speaking, Evil;   The Topic Concordance - Anger;   Countenance;   Speech/communication;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Rain;   Slander;   Wind, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Proverb, the Book of;   Winds;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Pardon;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Backbite;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Winds;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Proverbs, Book of;   Tongue;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Greek Versions of Ot;   Proverbs, Book of;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Winds;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Backbite;   Rain;   Wind;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Winds;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The north wind produces rain,and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
Hebrew Names Version
The north wind brings forth rain: So a backbiting tongue brings an angry face.
King James Version
The north wind driveth away rain: so doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue.
English Standard Version
The north wind brings forth rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
New American Standard Bible
The north wind brings rain, And a gossiping tongue brings an angry face.
New Century Version
As the north wind brings rain, telling gossip brings angry looks.
Amplified Bible
The north wind brings forth rain; And a backbiting tongue, an angry countenance.
World English Bible
The north wind brings forth rain: So a backbiting tongue brings an angry face.
Geneva Bible (1587)
As the Northwinde driueth away the raine, so doeth an angry countenance the slandering tongue.
Legacy Standard Bible
The north wind brings forth rain,And a tongue of secrets, an indignant face.
Berean Standard Bible
As the north wind brings forth rain, so a backbiting tongue brings angry looks.
Contemporary English Version
As surely as rain blows in from the north, anger is caused by cruel words.
Complete Jewish Bible
The north wind brings rain and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
Darby Translation
The north wind bringeth forth rain, and the angry countenance a backbiting tongue.
Easy-to-Read Version
Just as wind blowing from the north brings rain, telling secrets brings anger.
George Lamsa Translation
Like the north wind which brings forth rain, so are an evil countenance and a backbiting tongue.
Lexham English Bible
The wind of the north produces rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry faces.
Literal Translation
The north wind brings rain, so does a secret tongue an angry face.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The north wynde dryueth awaye the rayne, euen so doth an earnest sober countenauce a backbyters tonge.
American Standard Version
The north wind bringeth forth rain; So doth a backbiting tongue an angry countenance.
Bible in Basic English
As the north wind gives birth to rain, so is an angry face caused by a tongue saying evil secretly.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
The north wind bringeth forth rain, and a backbiting tongue an angry countenance.
King James Version (1611)
The North winde driueth away raine: so doeth an angrie countenance a backbiting tongue.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
The northwinde dryueth away the rayne: euen so doth an angry countenaunce a backbiters tongue.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
or if a maid-servant should cast out her own mistress; and if a hateful woman should marry a good man.
English Revised Version
The north wind bringeth forth rain: so doth a backbiting tongue an angry countenance.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
The north wind scatereth reynes; and a sorewful face distrieth a tunge bacbitinge.
Update Bible Version
The north wind brings forth rain: So does a backbiting tongue an angry countenance.
Webster's Bible Translation
The north wind driveth away rain: so [doth] an angry countenance a backbiting tongue.
New English Translation
The north wind brings forth rain, and a gossiping tongue brings forth an angry look.
New King James Version
The north wind brings forth rain, And a backbiting tongue an angry countenance.
New Living Translation
As surely as a north wind brings rain, so a gossiping tongue causes anger!
New Life Bible
The north wind brings rain, and a tongue that hurts people brings angry looks.
New Revised Standard
The north wind produces rain, and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
A north wind, bringeth forth rain, and, a face stirred with indignation, a secretive tongue.
Douay-Rheims Bible
The north wind driveth away rain, as doth a sad countenance a backbiting tongue.
Revised Standard Version
The north wind brings forth rain; and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
Young's Literal Translation
A north wind bringeth forth rain, And a secret tongue -- indignant faces.
THE MESSAGE
A north wind brings stormy weather, and a gossipy tongue stormy looks.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The north wind brings forth rain, And a backbiting tongue, an angry countenance.

Contextual Overview

23 Gossip brings anger just as surely as the north wind brings rain.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

north: Job 37:22

driveth: etc. or, bringeth forth rain; so doth a backbiting tongue an angry countenance, Monconys says, that when travelling on the second of January, 1648, from Tripoli in Syria, between Lebanon and the sea, it rained without ceasing, while the north wind blew directly in his face.

so: Proverbs 26:20, Psalms 15:3, Psalms 101:5, Romans 1:30, 2 Corinthians 12:20

Reciprocal: Genesis 8:1 - a wind Exodus 23:1 - shalt not 1 Samuel 24:9 - General Proverbs 13:17 - but Proverbs 29:12 - General Ephesians 4:26 - ye Ephesians 4:31 - evil speaking

Cross-References

Genesis 17:4
"I make this covenant with you: I promise that you will be the ancestor of many nations.
Genesis 17:16
I will bless her, and I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will become the mother of nations, and there will be kings among her descendants."
Genesis 24:60
And they gave Rebecca their blessing in these words: "May you, sister, become the mother of millions! May your descendants conquer the cities of their enemies!"
Genesis 25:1
Abraham married another woman, whose name was Keturah.
Genesis 25:2
She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
Genesis 25:5
Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac;
Genesis 25:6
but while he was still alive, he gave presents to the sons his other wives had borne him. Then he sent these sons to the land of the East, away from his son Isaac.
Genesis 25:7
Abraham died at the ripe old age of 175.
Genesis 25:9
His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in Machpelah Cave, in the field east of Mamre that had belonged to Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite.
Genesis 25:10
It was the field that Abraham had bought from the Hittites; both Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried there.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The north wind driveth away rain,.... So the geographer w says, the swift north wind drives away the moist clouds; which usually come from the opposite quarter, the south. The word used has the signification of conceiving, and begetting, and bringing forth; hence some x render it to a different sense, and so the Targum,

"the north wind bringeth forth rain;''

and in this sense Gersom interprets it, and says,

"the north wind produces rain in Jerusalem, because it brings there the vapours that ascend from the sea, which lies north unto it;''

and the philosopher y says, that in the northern parts of the world the south wind produces rain; and in the southern parts the north wind produces it, as in Judea. But in Job 37:22, fair, fine, golden, serene, "weather", is said to "come out of the north"; agreeably to which, the north wind is by Homer z called αιθρηγενετης, the producer of serene weather; and by Virgil a "clarus aquilo", i.e. what makes serene. The Arabic version reads it, "the south wind"; and that does bring rain, and, as that version has it, excites the clouds. But the first reading and sense of the words seem best b, and agree with what follows:

so [doth] an angry countenance a backbiting tongue; drives it away, discourages and silences it. When a man puts on a stern countenance, a frowning and angry look, on such who bring him slanderous reports and idle tales of their neighbours, and reproach and backbite them, it checks them, and puts a stop to their practices; whereas listening to them, and especially with an air of pleasure, encourages them in them; were there not so many that take pleasure in hearing those talebearers and backbiters, were they more roughly dealt with, as the blustering north wind does with the rain, there would not be so much of this evil practised.

w Dionysii Perieg. v. 532. x תחולל "parturiet", Montanus; "gignit", Junius Tremellius "parturit", Schultens. y Aristot. Metaphysic. l. 2. z Iliad. 19. v. 358. Odyss. 5. v. 295. a Georgic. l. 1. prope finem. b "Ventorum frigidissimi quos a septentrione diximus spirare, et reliquos compescunt, et nubes abigunt", Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 2. c. 47.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The marginal reading is far more accurate and gives a better sense. The northwest wind in Palestine commonly brings rain, and this was probably in the thought of the writer.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Proverbs 25:23. The north wind driveth away rain — The margin has, "The north wind bringeth forth rain." It is said that the "north wind brings forth rain at Jerusalem, because it brings with it the vapours arising from the sea that lies north of it." The marginal is the true reading; and is supported by the Chaldee, Syriac, and Septuagint; but the Arabic reads south wind.

A backbiting tongue — A hidden tongue.


 
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