Verse
Proverbs 27:17 — Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his…
“Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.”
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Read it in context
The verses around Proverbs 27:17.
15A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike.
16Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand, which bewrayeth itself.
17Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
18Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured.
19As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man.
Verse explanation
Sharpening one iron blade against another was the common method of the time for keeping a cutting tool sharp — a process that creates friction and sparks, not something smooth. The comparison uses this to describe how a good friendship also involves confrontation and challenge, not just agreement.
From the Proverbs 27 study in Bible in Stories.
Proverbs 27:17 in other versions
The same verse in the 4 Bible versions we have on the site.
- KJV · King James
Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
Read the chapter in this version → - ARC · Almeida 1911Português
Como o ferro com o ferro se aguça, assim o homem aguça o rosto do seu amigo.
Read the chapter in this version → - BLIVRE · Bíblia LivrePortuguês
O ferro é afiado com ferro; assim também o homem afia o rosto de seu amigo.
Read the chapter in this version → - VBL · Versión Biblia LibreEspañol
Una hoja de hierro se afila con una herramienta de hierro. De la misma manera, la mente de una persona se moldea con la mente de otra.
Read the chapter in this version →
In other languages: Português (Provérbios 27:17) · Español (Proverbios 27:17)
More verses about friendship
- Proverbs 17:17A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
- Ecclesiastes 4:9Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.
- Ecclesiastes 4:10For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath…
- John 15:13Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
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