📖 Biblical Definition
The lips are the boundary between heart and world — the channel through which the inner soul speaks itself into history. In Scripture they are the instruments of confession ("with the mouth confession is made unto salvation", Romans 10:10), blessing, prayer, and praise — and, when undisciplined, the conduit for slander, lying, gossip, and folly. Isaiah cried "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips" when he saw the LORD (Isaiah 6:5); the seraph touched his lips with a live coal from the altar, and his iniquity was purged. "The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment" (Proverbs 12:19). Guard the lips.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
LIPS, n. plu.
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1. The two outer or anterior edges of the mouth, formed of muscular substance, the borders of which are covered with a delicate skin. 2. In scripture, the lips are often put for the speech itself.
📖 Key Scripture
Isaiah 6:5 — "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips."
Psalm 141:3 — "Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips."
Hebrews 13:15 — "The fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."
Romans 10:10 — "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Modern speech is unwatched; Psalm 141:3 commands a doorkeeper at the lips.
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Psalm 141:3 is one of the most under-prayed verses in the Bible: set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. The image is precise — lips as a door, the Lord as the doorkeeper, words requiring permission before they pass through. Modern speech, especially online, is unwatched; lips fly open and close without supervision.
Isaiah's response in chapter 6 is the right one. The vision of the Lord in His holiness produced not theological insight first but lip-conviction: I am a man of unclean lips. The cure was the altar coal applied to the very lips that had sinned. The cross is the altar; the Spirit is the fire; the lips can be cleansed today.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Hebrew saphah (H8193); Greek cheilos (G5491).
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H8193 — saphah — lip; edge; speech
G5491 — cheilos — lip
Usage
"Modern speech is unwatched; Psalm 141 commands a doorkeeper at the lips."
"Lips fly open online without supervision; pray Psalm 141 daily."
"The cross is the altar; the lips can be cleansed today."