Proverbs 17:22
A joyful heart, worketh an excellent cure,—but, a stricken spirit, drieth up the bone.
The Emphasised Bible by J. B. Rotherham
In The King James Version
A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.
In Context
21He that begetteth a dullard, it is to his own grief, neither can the father of the base, rejoice.
23A bribe out of his bosom, doth a lawless man take, to pervert the ways of justice.
Cross References
Psalms 22:15Dried as a potsherd, is my strength, And, my tongue, is made to cleave to my gums, And, in the dust of death, wilt thou lay me.
Psalms 102:3For, consumed in smoke, are my days, And, my bones, like a burning mass, are scorched through;
Proverbs 15:13A joyful heart, maketh a pleasing countenance,—but, in sorrow of heart, is a stricken spirit.
Ecclesiastes 2:2Of laughter, I said, Madness! and, of mirth, What can it do?
Romans 5:2Through whom also we have had, our introduction, [by our faith] into this favour wherein we stand; and let us boast in hope of the glory of God.
2 Corinthians 7:10For, grief according to God, worketh, repentance unto salvation, not to be regretted; although, the grieving of the world, worketh, death.
Matthew Henry on Proverbs 17:22
21 He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow: and the father of a fool hath no joy. This expresses that very emphatically which many wise and good men feel very sensibly, what a grievous vexatious thing it is to have a foolish wicked child. See here, 1. How uncertain all our creature-comforts are, so that we are often not only disappointed in them, but that proves the greatest cross in which we promised ourselves most satisfaction. There was joy when a man-child was born into the world, and yet, if he prove… Read the whole commentary →