Verse
Proverbs 17:22 — A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth…
“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.”
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Read it in context
The verses around Proverbs 17:22.
20He that hath a froward heart findeth no good: and he that hath a perverse tongue falleth into mischief.
21He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow: and the father of a fool hath no joy.
22A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.
23A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.
24Wisdom is before him that hath understanding; but the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.
Verse explanation
‘Drieth the bones’ is another recurring physical image in the book used to describe inner wear, as already seen in chapter 14 with envy. Here the idea is that one’s state of mind affects the body in a concrete way, in the text’s view, almost like a medicine or its opposite.
From the Proverbs 17 study in Bible in Stories.
Proverbs 17:22 in other versions
The same verse in the 4 Bible versions we have on the site.
- KJV · King James
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.
Read the chapter in this version → - ARC · Almeida 1911Português
O coração alegre serve de bom remedio, mas o espirito abatido virá a seccar os ossos.
Read the chapter in this version → - BLIVRE · Bíblia LivrePortuguês
O coração alegre é um bom remédio, mas o espírito abatido faz os ossos se secarem.
Read the chapter in this version → - VBL · Versión Biblia LibreEspañol
Un corazón alegre es buena medicina; pero el desánimo te enfermará.
Read the chapter in this version →
In other languages: Português (Provérbios 17:22) · Español (Proverbios 17:22)
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