Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageAs the north wind drives up rain, so a stern face stops a slanderer's tongue.
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GThe north wind stirs up rain; a glowering face silences a backbiting tongue.
KJV
King James VersionThe north wind driveth away rain: so doth an angry countenance a backbiting tongue.
BSB
Berean Standard BibleAs the north wind brings forth rain, so a backbiting tongue brings angry looks.
Footnotes
There is a known textual difficulty here. In the land of Israel, the north wind (*ruach tzaphon*) typically brings dry air, driving clouds away from the coast — yet the Hebrew תְּחוֹלֵל (*techolel*) implies 'brings forth/stirs up,' suggesting rain. Some read the verse as describing how the north wind unexpectedly produces rain, just as an angry face unexpectedly produces a result — whether it silences the tongue or provokes it. The Septuagint reads 'the north wind drives away rain,' making the parallel more internally consistent. FOG follows the surprising Hebrew literally; FOG Message follows the most contextually coherent reading — the glowering face stops the tongue — as the cleaner parallel.
