Proverbs 27 - Meaning & Verses

"Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. {to...: Heb. to morrow day}"

"Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips."

"A stone {is} heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's wrath {is} heavier than them both. {heavy: Heb. heaviness}"

"Wrath {is} cruel, and anger {is} outrageous; but who {is} able to stand before envy? {Wrath...: Heb. Wrath is cruelty, and anger an overflowing} {envy: or, jealousy?}"

"Open rebuke {is} better than secret love."

"Faithful {are} the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy {are} deceitful. {deceitful: or, earnest, or, frequent}"

"The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. {loatheth: Heb. treadeth under foot}"

"As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so {is} a man that wandereth from his place."

"Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so {doth} the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel. {by...: Heb. from the counsel of the soul}"

"Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: {for} better {is} a neighbour {that is} near than a brother far off."

"My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth me."

"A prudent {man} foreseeth the evil, {and} hideth himself; {but} the simple pass on, {and} are punished."

"Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge of him for a strange woman."

"He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him."

"A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike."

"Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand, {which} bewrayeth {itself}."

"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend."

Proverbs 27:17 means that just as iron sharpens iron, friends can help each other grow and improve. In life, surrounding yourself with supportive, honest friends encourages personal development. For example, …

"Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured."

"As in water face {answereth} to face, so the heart of man to man."

"Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied. {never: Heb. not}"

"{As} the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so {is} a man to his praise."

"Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, {yet} will not his foolishness depart from him."

"Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, {and} look well to thy herds. {look...: Heb. set thy heart}"

"For riches {are} not for ever: and doth the crown {endure} to every generation? {riches: Heb. strength} {to...: Heb. to generation and generation?}"

"The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered."

"The lambs {are} for thy clothing, and the goats {are} the price of the field."

"And {thou shalt have} goats' milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and {for} the maintenance for thy maidens. {maintenance: Heb. life}"