Proverbs 26:2 As the sparrow in her wandering, as the swallow in her flying, So the curse that is causeless alighteth not.

The flight of birds appears aimless, so empty words rest on nothing but oneself. More people do this than is realized, that is, they attempt to thrust a curse or curses in the direction of another whether they believe in the “sticking power” of the words or not. The point of the proverb is like an English proverb, “Curses, like young chickens, always come home to roost” (Barnes). As with the saying, “Be careful what you wish for”, be careful what you say to or about others.

#curses, #stickingpower, #emptywords, #wisdom, #proverbs