15:23

Notice the parallel parts that are similar in meaning:

23a
A man takes joy in a fitting reply —

23b and how good is a timely word !

15:23a–b

A man takes joy in a fitting reply—and how good is a timely word!: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a fitting reply is literally “the answer of his mouth.” Because of the parallelism with a timely word, it is implied that his answer is good, appropriate, or useful. The second line is literally “how good is a word in its time.” This means that a statement is good, useful, or effective when it is appropriate or fits the occasion.

takes joy…how good: The first line focuses on the joy that is experienced by someone who gives a good answer. The parallel how good in 15:23b focuses on the nature of the answer and on its usefulness to the listener. But it probably also implies that the speaker benefits from his good answer.

General Comment on 15:23a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts. For example:

Giving the right answer at the right time makes everyone happy. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
What a joy it is to find just the right word for the right occasion! (Good News Translation)

See 15:23a–b (combined/reordered) in the Display.

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