Proverbs 27:19 (ASV)

Passage

As in water face [answereth] to face, So the heart of man to man.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpeneth iron; So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.

Proverbs 27:18 Whoso keepeth the fig-tree shall eat the fruit thereof; And he that regardeth his master shall be honored.

Proverbs 27:19 As in water face [answereth] to face, So the heart of man to man.

Proverbs 27:20 Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied; And the eyes of man are never satisfied.

Proverbs 27:21 The refining pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold; And a man is [tried] by his praise.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "water", "face", "answereth", and "heart". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "water" and "face", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "Whoso keepeth the fig-tree shall eat the..." into verse 20's "Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied And...", so "water" and "face" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "water" and "face" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.