Proverbs 16:24 (YLT)

Passage

Sayings of pleasantness <FI>are<Fi> a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul, and healing to the bone.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 16:22 A fountain of life <FI>is<Fi> understanding to its possessors, The instruction of fools is folly.

Proverbs 16:23 The heart of the wise causeth his mouth to act wisely, And by his lips he increaseth learning,

Proverbs 16:24 Sayings of pleasantness <FI>are<Fi> a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul, and healing to the bone.

Proverbs 16:25 There is a way right before a man, And its latter end--ways of death.

Proverbs 16:26 A labouring man hath laboured for himself, For his mouth hath caused <FI>him<Fi> to bend over it.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sayings", "pleasantness", "honeycomb", "sweet", "soul", "healing", and "bone". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sayings" and "pleasantness", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 23's "The heart of the wise causeth his..." into verse 25's "There is a way right before a...", so "sayings" and "pleasantness" 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 "sayings" and "pleasantness" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.