The exact phrase will vary, depending on which translation of the Hebrew and Greek phrases one reads. In the book of Proverbs, this passage can be translated as dealing with idle chatter, although the phrase itself does not appear in the text:
The wise in heart accept commands,
but a chattering fool comes to ruin.Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.Whoever winks maliciously causes grief,
and a chattering fool comes to ruin.
Analysis of the passage reveals that ‘chattering’ means, first, that one is not ‘accepting commands,’ i.e., the “chattering fool” would rather talk than listen, and because he is talking, misses the command, or talks in order that he might miss the command.
Second, ‘chattering’ is malicious. The act of winking can undermine another person, or be a signal for some type of foul play, or be seductive. In any case, the outcome is bad. Winking as such, in general, is not forbidden by the text, but rather such winking as causes sorrow or trouble.
Finally, a ‘chattering fool’ is contrasted with ‘the wise in heart.’
‘Chattering’ is an adjective. The emphasis is on ‘fool.’ There might be other types of fool. The problem is primarily foolishness.
The Hebrew word rendered as ‘chattering’ has also been translated as ‘prating’ or ‘talkative.’ While 10:8 is relatively unproblematic, some scholars read 10:10 differently. Instead of the repetitive parallelism of the LXX, in which two negative personalities receive the consequences of their action, it is possible, looking more to the Masoretic text, to see the second half of the couplet as contrasting a positive personality to the flaw identified in the first half:
He who winks the eye causes trouble,
but he who boldly reproves makes peace.
In any case, there is no textual evidence in Proverbs for a prohibition against all socializing, which some have attempted to find in this passage.
There are sects which would impose a rule that one may speak either only of ‘purely spiritual’ matters, or may speak when the practicalities of life require it, e.g., ask where to find water.
Proverbs does not provide any justification for such a legalistic burden. The stricture also deconstructs itself, inasmuch as the recognition that Jesus is Lord over all aspects of life does not allow the division of conversation into ‘purely spiritual’ and other matters.
Although the phrase ‘idle chatter’ has entered ordinary discourse, it is not found in Scripture. The word ‘chatter’ and the word ‘idle’ do appear in the text, but not together.
Surprisingly, the phrase ‘idle chatter’ is common in certain Buddhist texts.
The New Testament uses the phrase ‘godless chatter’ twice. In Paul’s first letter to Timothy, he concludes with a final exhortation:
Guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the faith.
In this context, ‘godless chatter’ is that which opposes the doctrine which has been ‘entrusted’ to the believer’s ‘care.’ This ‘godless chatter’ is condemned precisely because of its spiritual content.
In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he repeats the phrase in a variant of his first admonition:
Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene.
Again the phrase refers to the ‘teaching,’ i.e., to the spiritual or doctrinal content of the speech.
In the New Testament, then, ‘chatter’ does not refer to casual socializing, but instead to false spiritual teachings.
Although the phrase ‘idle chatter’ has entered common usage in modern English, and although it carries for some listeners a moralizing connotation which some may vaguely associate with the cultural aura of Jesus and His followers, the phrase actually finds its origin and home in Buddhist thought.
Among commonly-used English translations, the NKJV alone uses the phrase, in Proverbs 14:23. The NKJV was composed between 1975 and 1980, and so after the point in time at which ‘idle chatter’ had entered common usage. The inclusion of the phrase in the NKJV is, then, a retrojection and does not reflect the Vorlage, i.e., the original Hebrew MSS.
The followers of Jesus are not prohibited from casual social speech, i.e., talking about everyday events and cultural topics.
