Bible Strands
Proverbs 27:17
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The wise teacher addresses the reader within a collection of practical instructions, placing this maxim between a warning about a contentious woman in Proverbs 27:16 and a proverb about faithful service in Proverbs 27:18.
The words — בַּרְזֶל (barzel) denotes iron, while the supplied lexical data links the sharpening action to the root glossed as growing sharp or making sharp.
The thread — The motif of mutual refinement appears in Hebrews 10:24, which urges believers to spur one another to love and good deeds, and in Proverbs 27:9, which notes that a friend’s counsel brings sweetness to the soul. Job 4:3 further illustrates the broader biblical pattern of strengthening others through direct engagement.
Why it lands — The text states that friction and close contact produce sharpness, so the reader must seek out direct, challenging interactions rather than avoiding them. It asks for active participation in relationships that refine character through honest exchange.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
Cross-references
- Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds.
- Proverbs 27:9 Oil and incense bring joy to the heart, and the counsel of a friend is sweetness to the soul.
- Job 4:3 Surely you have instructed many, and have strengthened their feeble hands.
- 1 Samuel 23:16 And Saul’s son Jonathan came to David in Horesh and strengthened his hand in God,
- Isaiah 35:3 Strengthen the limp hands and steady the feeble knees!
- 2 Timothy 2:3 Join me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
- 1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you.
- 2 Samuel 10:11 “If the Arameans are too strong for me,” said Joab, “then you will come to my rescue. And if the Ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come to your rescue.
- James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds,
- 2 Timothy 1:8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me, His prisoner. Instead, join me in suffering for the gospel by the power of God.