“The mind of the wise makes his speech judicious”: The sense of this saying is similar to verse 21. “The mind of the wise” renders a form of the Hebrew expression translated by Revised Standard Version in verse 21 “the wise of heart” and refers to a wise person, one having sound judgment. “Makes . . . judicious” renders the causative form of a Hebrew verb meaning “to be prudent or wise.” “Speech” is literally “mouth.” We may render this line, for example, “A person with good sense is careful how he speaks” or “If you are wise, you will watch what you say.”

“And adds persuasiveness to his lips”: For “adds persuasiveness” refer to “increases persuasiveness” in verse 21b. “His lips” is parallel with “his mouth” in the first line and again refers to the wise person’s speech, what he says. Contemporary English Version reverses the two lines of this saying: “You can persuade others if you are wise and speak sensibly.” See also Good News Translation.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .