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Proverbs 11:13 · World English Bible

Proverbs 11:13 Meaning One Who Brings Gossip Betrays a Confidence

One who brings gossip betrays a confidence, but one who is of a trustworthy spirit is one who keeps a secret.

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What does Proverbs 11:13 mean?

The one who carries tales is a mind hunting for guilt to expose, because as long as fault lives in another it need not be faced within. Every secret dragged into the light is an attack dressed as honesty.

From the Christian Psychology reading below.

Proverbs 11:13 through 1 lens

The same verse, read by one tradition.

CHRISTIAN PSYCHOLOGY

Christian Psychology

The one who carries tales is a mind hunting for guilt to expose, because as long as fault lives in another it need not be faced within. Every secret dragged into the light is an attack dressed as honesty. The faithful spirit that covers the matter is not hiding wrong. It is the part of the mind that has learned to overlook, to let the fault remain a figure in a dream and refuse to make it real by repeating it.

To conceal here is to forgive. A mind keeps another's innocence by declining to build a case against him.

Talebearer: the mind in its accusing mode, going from door to door to find and publish guilt

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Christian Psychology lens

Live Proverbs 11:13 today

  1. If you learn something private today, let it stop with you, even the harmless-sounding version you could pass along.
  2. When a friend starts telling you about someone else's mistake, change the subject kindly, or ask how the friend is actually doing.
  3. In a work thread where it would be easy to forward the proof of someone's error, handle it with that person directly instead, and keep the rest out of it.

Whose story am I repeating that would be kinder left alone?

The same truth in other traditions

Buddhism · Right Speech

Before you speak, ask if it is true, if it is kind, and if it is the moment. Words that fail those tests are better left unsaid.

Tao Te Ching 23

Many words run out quickly. The person who speaks less keeps what matters whole.

Pirkei Avot

Whoever shames another in public has done real damage, to themselves most of all. A fault kept quiet is a fault allowed to heal.

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