proverb · Words worth keeping
If a word is worth one shekel, silence is worth two.
If a word is worth one shekel, silence is worth two.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A word worth one shekel and silence worth two give restraint a higher value through a price comparison. The saying asks whether speaking adds enough to justify it.
What the words are saying
The amounts are rhetorical rather than market prices or a universal ratio. A responsible reading distinguishes needless speech from questions, fair criticism and reporting harm. Silence can be useful in one exchange and harmful in another; relevant circumstances should decide its value.
Everyday example
Someone omits an unnecessary insult but still states the concern that needs a response.
When to use it
Use it to weigh speech and restraint with necessary communication retained.
What it does not mean
No universal superiority of silence or duty to suppress justified speech is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 537; PDF page 50; collection label: Hebrew
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Hebrew