# Where is “The tongue has the power of life and death” in the Bible?

> “The tongue has the power of life and death” is Proverbs 18:21.

Source: https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/the-tongue-has-the-power-of-life-and-death
By Andrew Kittridge · November 10, 2026

It is one of the proverbs of Solomon.

## The verse

> Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
>
> — [Proverbs 18:21](https://www.lumin.faith/read/proverbs/18#21) (Lumin Translation)

English Bibles word this verse in different ways. The Lumin Translation, a modern English Bible, is quoted here.

## What it means there

Words can ruin a person or rescue one. The second half says people eat the fruit of how they talk. The proverb is about the weight of speech, not about speaking wishes into being.

## Common questions

### Where is “The tongue has the power of life and death” in the Bible?

“The tongue has the power of life and death” is Proverbs 18:21. English Bibles word this verse in different ways. The Lumin Translation, a modern English Bible, is quoted here. It is one of the proverbs of Solomon.

### Is “The tongue has the power of life and death” in the Bible?

Yes. It is Proverbs 18:21. In the Lumin Translation, Proverbs 18:21 reads: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”

### Who said “The tongue has the power of life and death”?

It is one of the proverbs of Solomon.

### What does “The tongue has the power of life and death” mean in the Bible?

Words can ruin a person or rescue one. The second half says people eat the fruit of how they talk. The proverb is about the weight of speech, not about speaking wishes into being.

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