Proverbs 17:22 Commentaries: A joyful heart is good ...

A merry heart; cheerfulness of soul, especially that which is solid, and ariseth from the witness of a good conscience. Doeth good, even to the body; it ... Bible>Commentaries>Proverbs17:22◄Proverbs17:22►Amerryheartdoethgoodlikeamedicine:butabrokenspiritdrieththebones.Jumpto:Barnes•Benson•BI•Cambridge•Clarke•Darby•Ellicott•Expositor's•Exp Dct•Gaebelein•GSB•Gill•Gray•Guzik•Haydock•Hastings•Homiletics•JFB•KD•Kelly•King•Lange•MacLaren•MHC•MHCW•Parker•Poole•Pulpit•Sermon•SCO•TTB•WES•TSKEXPOSITORY(ENGLISHBIBLE)Ellicott'sCommentaryforEnglishReaders(22)Amerryheartdoethgoodlikeamedicine.—Orrather,Makesgoodarecovery.,(Forthedutyofreligiousgladness,ingratitudefortheloveofGodtowardsus,comp.Philippians3:1;Philippians4:4.)BensonCommentaryProverbs17:22.Amerryheart—Cheerfullnessofmind,especiallythatwhichissolid,andarisethfromthetestimonyofagoodconscience;doethgoodlikeamedicine—Eventothebody;itcontributesverymuchtotherestorationorpreservationofbodilyhealthandvigour,asphysiciansobserveandexperienceshows;butabrokenspirit—Aspiritsadanddejected;drieththebones—Wasteththemarrowofthebones,andthemoistureandstrengthofthebody.MatthewHenry'sConciseCommentary17:19.Ifwewouldkeepaclearconscienceandaquietmind,wemustshunallexcitementstoanger.Andamanwhoaffectsastyleoflivingabovehismeans,goesthewaytoruin.20.Thereisnothinggotbyilldesigns.Andmanyhavepaiddearforanunbridledtongue.21.Thisspeaksveryplainlywhatmanywiseandgoodmenfeelverystrongly,howgrievousitistohaveafoolish,wickedchild.22.ItisgreatmercythatGodgivesusleavetobecheerful,andcausetobecheerful,ifbyhisgracehegivesusheartstobecheerful.23.Thewickedarereadytopartwiththeirmoney,thoughloved,thattheymaynotsufferfortheircrimes.24.TheprudentmankeepsthewordofGodcontinuallyinview.Butthefoolishmancannotfixhisthoughts,norpursueanypurposewithsteadiness.25.Wickedchildrendespisetheauthorityoftheirfather,andthetendernessoftheirmother.26.Itisverywrongtofindfaultfordoingwhatisduty.27,28.Amanmayshowhimselftobeawiseman,bythegoodtemperofhismind,andbythegoodgovernmentofhistongue.Heiscarefulwhenhedoesspeak,tospeaktothepurpose.Godknowshisheart,andthefollythatisboundthere;thereforehecannotbedeceivedinhisjudgmentasmenmaybe.Barnes'NotesontheBibleDoethgoodlikeamedicine-Better,workethagoodhealing.Omit"like."Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBibleCommentary22.(ComparePr14:30;15:13).Theeffectofthemindonthebodyiswellknown.medicine—or,"body,"whichbettercorrespondswith"bone."drieth—asifthemarrowwereexhausted.MatthewPoole'sCommentaryAmerryheart;cheerfulnessofsoul,especiallythatwhichissolid,andarisethfromthewitnessofagoodconscience.Doethgood,eventothebody;itcontributesverymuchtotherestorationorpreservationofbodilyhealthandrigour,asphysiciansobserve,andexperienceshoweth.Broken;sadanddejected.Drieththebones;wasteththemarrowofthebones,andthemoistureandstrengthofthebody.Gill'sExpositionoftheEntireBibleAmerryheartdothgoodlikeamedicine,....Doesthebodygood,makesithealthfulandvigorous.Cheerfulnessofspirithasagreatinfluenceuponthebody,andmuchcontributestothehealthandwelfareofit;seeEcclesiastes9:7;andespeciallyaheartfullofspiritualjoy,peaceofconscience,flowingfromthebloodofChrist,joyintheHolyGhost,arejoicinginChristJesusandhisrighteousness,andinhopeofthegloryofGod,muchaffecteventheoutwardman.Or,"amerryheartmakesagoodmedicine"(x);itisagoodmedicineofitself;raisesthespirits,invigoratesthebody,andfitsitforserviceandbusiness:or,"doesamedicinegood"(y);makesthatoperatekindly,andtoagoodpurpose:or,asJarchi,makesthecountenanceshinewell,makesaserenecountenance;whichSchultensapproves,and,fromtheuseofthewordintheArabiclanguage,confirms;butabrokenspiritdrieththebones;aspiritbrokenwithsorrow,whetheronspiritualortemporalaccounts;asitweakensthenerves,itdriesupthemarrowinthebones,andemaciatesthebody,andreducesittoaskeleton:thejoyorgriefofthemind,thosepassionsofthesoul,haveaverygreatinfluenceuponthebody,eitherforitsgoodorhurt.(x)"corhilarebonamfacitsanationem",Michaelis.(y)SoR.JosephKimchi;"bonificatsivemelioremredditmedicinam",someinValablus;"benemedicinamfacit",Junius&Tremellius,Piscator.GenevaStudyBibleAmerryheartdoethgoodlikeamedicine:butabrokenspiritdrieththebones.EXEGETICAL(ORIGINALLANGUAGES)CambridgeBibleforSchoolsandColleges22.doethgoodlikeamedicine]Rather,isagoodmedicine,R.V.“Heb.causethgoodhealing,”R.V.marg.;givethahappyhealing,Gesen.;εὐεκτεῖνποιεῖ,LXX.PulpitCommentaryVerse22.-Amerryheartdoethgoodlikeamedicine.SoAbenEzra,understandingtheparticleofcomparison,whichisnotintheHebrew.Thewardtranslated"medicine"(gehah)occursnowhereelse,andprobablymeans"healing""relief."Theclauseisbetterrendered,acheerfulheartmakethagoodhealing(comp.Proverbs15:13;Proverbs16:25).Vulgate,aetatemfloridamfacit;Septuagint,εὐεκτεῖνποιεῖ,"makesonetobeingoodcase."Acheerful,contenteddispositionenablesamentoresisttheattacksofdisease,themind,mseveryoneknows,havingmostpowerfulinfluenceoverthebody.Ecclus.30:22,"Thegladnessoftheheartisthelifeofman,andthejoyfulnessofamanprolongethhisdays."Abrokenspiritdrieththebones;destroysalllifeandvigour(comp.Proverbs3:8;Psalm22:15;Psalm32:4).Weallrememberthedistich-"Amerryheartgoesalltheday,Yoursadtiresinamile-a."Sotherabbisenjoin,"Giveearsnoroominthineheart,forcarehathkilledmany"(Dukes,p.68).Religiousgladnessisapositiveduty,and"lowspirits,"asIsaacWilliamssays,"areasin."AskstheGreekmoralist-ἌρἐστὶσυγγενέςτιλύπηκαὶβίοςAndLucretius(3:473)affirms-"Namdoloracmorbusletifabricatoruterqueest.""Workersofdeatharesorrowanddisease."Proverbs17:22KeilandDelitzschBiblicalCommentaryontheOldTestament22Ajoyfulheartbringethgoodrecovery;    Andabrokenspiritdrieththebones.Theheartisthecentreoftheindividuallife,andtheconditionandthetoneoftheheartcommunicatesitselftothislife,eventoitsoutermostcircumference;thespiritisthepowerofself-consciousnesswhich,accordingasitislifteduporbroken,alsoliftsuporbreaksdowntheconditionofthebody(Psychol.p.199),vid.,thesimilarcontrastedphrasesלבשׂמחandרוּחנכאה,Proverbs15:13.Theἄπ.λεγ.גּהה(hereandthereinCodd.incorrectlywrittenגּיהה)hasnothingtodowiththeArab.jihat,whichdoesnotmeansight,butdirection,andisformedfromwjah(whencewajah,sight),likeעדה,congregation,fromועד(יעד).TheSyr.,Targ.(perhapsalsoSymmachus:ἀγαθύνειἡλικίαν;Jerome:aetatemfloridamfacit;Luther:makesthelifelstig[cheerful])translateitbybody;butforthisגּוה(גּויּה)isused,andthatisawordofanentirelydifferentrootfromגּהה.TowhatverbthisrefersisshownbyHosea5:13:ולא־יגההמכּםמזור,andhealednotforyouherulcerouswound.מזורisthecompress,i.e.,thebandageclosinguptheulcer,thenalsotheulcer-wounditself;andגּההisthecontraryofעלה,e.g.,Jeremiah8:22;itmeanstheremovingofthebandageandthehealingofthewound.ThisisconfirmedbytheSyr.gho,whichinlikemannerisconstruedwithmin,andmeanstobedeliveredfromsomething(vid.,Bernstein'sLex.Syr.toKirsch'sChrestomathie).TheAethiop.quadriliteralgâhgěh,tohinder,tocausetocease,correspondstothecausativeSyr.agahish.Accordinglyגּההmeanstobeintheconditionofabatement,mitigation,healing;andגּהה(assynonymofכּהה,Nehemiah3:19,withwhichParchoncombinesit),levamen,levatio,inthesenseofbodilyhealing(lxxεὐεκτεῖνποιεῖ;Venet.,afterKimchi,ἀγαθυνεῖθεραπείαν);andהיטיבגּהה(cf.Proverbs15:2)denotes,tobringgoodimprovement,toadvancepowerfullytherecovery.SchultenscomparestheArab.jahy,nitescere,disserenari,asMenahemhasdoneננהּ,butthiswordisoneofthefewwordswhichareexplainedexclusivelyfromtheSyriac(andAethiop.).גּרם(hereandatProverbs25:15)isthewordinterchangingwithעצם,Proverbs15:30;Proverbs16:24.LinksProverbs17:22InterlinearProverbs17:22ParallelTextsProverbs17:22NIVProverbs17:22NLTProverbs17:22ESVProverbs17:22NASBProverbs17:22KJVProverbs17:22BibleAppsProverbs17:22ParallelProverbs17:22BibliaParalelaProverbs17:22ChineseBibleProverbs17:22FrenchBibleProverbs17:22GermanBibleBibleHub