Open in the app
Mid-century illustration of a tree planted by a pool of water on a path

Proverbs 22:11 · World English Bible

Proverbs 22:11 Meaning He Who Loves Purity of Heart

He who loves purity of heart and speaks gracefully is the king’s friend.

Read it in the app

What does Proverbs 22:11 mean?

Pureness of heart is a mind cleansed of the wish to attack, a seeing washed of judgment so that it looks on all things without accusation. The grace on such a mind's lips is simply what a healed heart naturally speaks, words that bless because there is no guilt behind them seeking a place to land.

From the Christian Psychology reading below.

Proverbs 22:11 through 1 lens

The same verse, read by one tradition.

CHRISTIAN PSYCHOLOGY

Christian Psychology

Pureness of heart is a mind cleansed of the wish to attack, a seeing washed of judgment so that it looks on all things without accusation. The grace on such a mind's lips is simply what a healed heart naturally speaks, words that bless because there is no guilt behind them seeking a place to land. And the king who becomes its friend is the strength within, the part of the mind that rules in love rather than in fear, drawn near the moment the heart lets its grievances fall.

So the friendship is not a favor earned from someone above. It is the mind's own power returning to its side once the wish to condemn is laid down. A pure heart and its own inner authority were never truly parted, only kept apart by fear.

King: the strength within the mind that governs in love, drawn near as a friend when the heart releases its wish to attack

Christian Psychology lensGo deeper in the app

Christian Psychology lens

Live Proverbs 22:11 today

  1. Go through one hour today with no sharp remarks, not even the clever ones you keep to yourself. See what your mind sounds like when the edge is set down.
  2. In one conversation, speak only what you would be fine with the person overhearing. No sideways digs, no little test hidden in the question.
  3. When you are tired and the sarcasm comes easily, say the plain kind thing instead. It feels flat for a second and then it feels like strength.

What would I say differently if I had nothing to prove and no one to put in their place?

The same truth in other traditions

Tao Te Ching

True words are not showy and showy words are not true. Speech that blesses comes from a mind with nothing to conceal.

Buddhism · right speech

Speak only what is true, kind, and worth the breath. A heart free of ill will speaks that way without effort.

Sufism · Rumi

The mirror shows clearly once the dust is wiped away. Clean the heart and what it reflects back to people is their own light.

Mid-century illustration of Jesus teaching the crowd on a hillside above the sea

Free · No account needed

Read all of Proverbs 22 through 17 lenses

Lensightful opens every verse of the Bible through the traditions you choose. Save readings, ask a follow-up question, and get one verse a day.

Get Lensightful on the App Store