Zhēnyán 27:17

17 Tiĕ mó tiĕ , mó chū rèn lái . péngyou xiāng gǎn , ( yuánwén zuò mó péngyou de liǎn ) yĕ shì rúcǐ .

Zhēnyán 27:17 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 27:17

Iron sharpeneth iron
A sword or knife made of iron is sharpened by it; so butchers sharpen their knives; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend;
by conversation with him; thus learned men sharpen one another's minds, and excite each other to learned studies; Christians sharpen one another's graces, or stir up each other to the exercise of them, and the gifts which are bestowed on them, and to love and to good works. So Jarchi and Gersom understand it of the sharpening of men's minds to the learning of doctrine; but Aben Ezra, takes it in an ill sense, that as iron strikes iron and sharpens it, so a wrathful man irritates and provokes wrath in another. Some render the words, "as iron delighteth in iron, so a man rejoiceth the countenance of his friend", ^F9: by his company and conversation.

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FOOTNOTES:

F9 (dxy) "laetatur", a (hdx) "laetari; ferrum in ferro laetatur, et virum laetificant ora socii ejus", Gussetius, p. 242. "ferrum ferro hiluratur, et vir exhilarat vultum sodalis sui", Schultens.

Zhēnyán 27:17 In-Context

15 Dà yǔzhī rì liánlián dī lòu , hé zhēng chǎo de fùrén yíyàng .

16 Xiǎng lánzǔ tāde , biàn shì lánzǔ fēng , yĕ shì yòushǒu zhuā yóu .

17 Tiĕ mó tiĕ , mó chū rèn lái . péngyou xiāng gǎn , ( yuánwén zuò mó péngyou de liǎn ) yĕ shì rúcǐ .

18 Kānshǒu wúhuāguǒ shù de , bì chī shù shang de guǒzi . jìngfèng zhǔrén de , bì dé zūnróng .

19 Shuǐ zhōng zhào liǎn , bǐcǐ xiāng fú . rén yǔ rén , xīn yĕ xiāngduì .