Proverbs 27:17 (LSB)

Passage

Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 27:15 A constant dripping on a day of steady rain And a contentious woman are alike;

Proverbs 27:16 He who would restrain her restrains the wind, And grasps oil with his right hand.

Proverbs 27:17 Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.

Proverbs 27:18 He who guards the fig tree will eat its fruit, And he who keeps watch for his master will be honored.

Proverbs 27:19 As in water face reflects face, So the heart of man reflects man.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "He who would restrain her restrains the..." into verse 18's "He who guards the fig tree will...", so "iron" and "sharpens" 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 "iron" and "sharpens" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.