26 The thoughts of the evil [man] are an abomination to Jehovah; but pure words are pleasant.
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Jehovah, my rock, and my redeemer.
The mouth of the righteous proffereth wisdom, and his tongue speaketh judgment; the law of his God is in his heart; his goings shall not slide.
These six [things] doth Jehovah hate, yea, seven are an abomination unto him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood; a heart that deviseth wicked imaginations; feet that are swift in running to mischief; a false witness that uttereth lies, and he that soweth discords among brethren.
A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth; and a word in its season, how good is it!
Wash thy heart, Jerusalem, from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?
Offspring of vipers! how can ye speak good things, being wicked? For of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man out of the good treasure brings forth good things; and the wicked man out of the wicked treasure brings forth wicked things. But I say unto you, that every idle word which men shall say, they shall render an account of it in judgment-day: for by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
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Commentary on Proverbs 15 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
We take these verses together as forming a group which begins with a proverb regarding the good and evil which flows from the tongue, and closes with a proverb regarding the treasure in which blessing is found, and that in which no blessing is found.
Proverbs 15:1
1 A soft answer turneth away wrath,
And a bitter word stirreth up anger.
In the second line, the common word for anger ( אף , from the breathing with the nostrils, Proverbs 14:17) is purposely placed, but in the first, that which denotes anger in the highest degree ( חמה from יחם , cogn. חמם , Arab. hamiya , to glow, like שׁנה from ישׁן ): a mild, gentle word turns away the heat of anger ( excandescentiam ), puts it back, cf. Proverbs 25:15. The Dagesh in רּך follows the rule of the דחיק , i.e. , of the close connection of a word terminating with the accented eh, aah, ah with the following word ( Michlol 63b). The same is the meaning of the Latin proverb:
Frangitur ira gravis
Quando est responsio suavis