Proverbs Chapter 27 verse 17 Holy Bible

ASV Proverbs 27:17

Iron sharpeneth iron; So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
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BBE Proverbs 27:17

Iron makes iron sharp; so a man makes sharp his friend.
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DARBY Proverbs 27:17

Iron is sharpened by iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
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KJV Proverbs 27:17

Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
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WBT Proverbs 27:17


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WEB Proverbs 27:17

Iron sharpens iron; So a man sharpens his friend's countenance.
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YLT Proverbs 27:17

Iron by iron is sharpened, And a man sharpens the face of his friend.
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Proverbs 27 : 17 Bible Verse Songs

Pulpit Commentary

Pulpit CommentaryVerse 17. - Iron sharpeneth iron. The proverb deals with the influence which men have upon one another. So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. So the Vulgate, Homo exacuit faciem amici sui. The action of the file is probably meant (1 Samuel 13:21); and the writer names iron as the sharpener rather than the whetstone, because he wishes to denote that one man is of the same nature as another, and that this identity is that which makes mutual action possible and advantageous. Some have taken the proverb in a bad sense, as if it meant that one angry word leads to another, one man's passion excites another's rage. Thus Aben Ezra. The Septuagint perhaps supports this notion by rendering, Ἀνὴρ δὲ παροξύνει πρόσωπον ἑταίρου. But the best commentators understand the maxim to say that intercourse with other men influences the manner, appearance, deportment, and character of a man, sharpens his wits, controls his conduct, and brightens his very face. Horace uses the same figure of speech, 'Ars Poet.,' 304 - "Fungar vice cotis, acutumReddere quae ferrum valet, exsors ipsa secaudi." On the subject of mutual intercourse Euripides says, 'Androm.,' 683 - Ἡ δ ὁμυλίαΠάντων βροτοῖσι γίγνεται διδάσκαλος "CompanionshipIs that which teaches mortals everything."

Ellicott's Commentary

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(17) So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend--i.e., the play of wit with wit sharpens and brightens up the face.