Proverbs 17:22 (LSB)

Passage

A glad heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 17:20 He who has a crooked heart finds no good, And he who is perverted in his tongue falls into evil.

Proverbs 17:21 He who begets a fool does so to his grief, And the father of a wicked fool is not glad.

Proverbs 17:22 A glad heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 17:23 A wicked man receives a bribe from the bosom To thrust aside the paths of justice.

Proverbs 17:24 Wisdom is in the presence of the one who understands, But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "glad", "heart", "good", "medicine", "broken", "dries", and "bones". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "glad", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "He who begets a fool does so..." into verse 23's "A wicked man receives a bribe from...", so "Spirit" and "glad" 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 "Spirit" and "glad" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.