Proverbs 17:22 (WEB)

Passage

A cheerful heart makes good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 17:20 One who has a perverse heart doesn’t find prosperity, and one who has a deceitful tongue falls into trouble.

Proverbs 17:21 He who becomes the father of a fool grieves. The father of a fool has no joy.

Proverbs 17:22 A cheerful heart makes good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Proverbs 17:23 A wicked man receives a bribe in secret, to pervert the ways of justice.

Proverbs 17:24 Wisdom is before the face of one who has understanding, but the eyes of a fool wander to the ends of the earth.

Study Lenses

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

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