Proverbs 27:9 (DRB)

Passage

Ointment and perfumes rejoice the heart: and the good counsels of a friend are sweet to the soul.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 27:7 A soul that is full shall tread upon the honeycomb: and a soul that is hungry shall take even bitter for sweet.

Proverbs 27:8 As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that leaveth his place.

Proverbs 27:9 Ointment and perfumes rejoice the heart: and the good counsels of a friend are sweet to the soul.

Proverbs 27:10 Thy own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not: and go not into thy brother's house in the day of thy affliction. Better is a neighbour that is near than a brother afar off.

Proverbs 27:11 Study wisdom, my son, and make my heart joyful, that thou mayst give an answer to him that reproacheth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "ointment", "perfumes", "rejoice", "heart", "good", "counsels", "friend", and "sweet". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "ointment" and "perfumes", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "As a bird that wandereth from her..." into verse 10's "Thy own friend and thy father's friend...", so "ointment" and "perfumes" 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 "ointment" and "perfumes" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.