Proverbs 27:11 (YLT)

Passage

Be wise, my son, and rejoice my heart. And I return my reproacher a word.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 27:9 Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart, And the sweetness of one's friend--from counsel of the soul.

Proverbs 27:10 Thine own friend, and the friend of thy father, forsake not, And the house of thy brother enter not In a day of thy calamity, Better <FI>is<Fi> a near neighbour than a brother afar off.

Proverbs 27:11 Be wise, my son, and rejoice my heart. And I return my reproacher a word.

Proverbs 27:12 The prudent hath seen the evil, he is hidden, The simple have passed on, they are punished.

Proverbs 27:13 Take his garment, when a stranger hath been surety, And for a strange woman pledge it.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wise", "rejoice", "heart", "return", "reproacher", and "word". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wise" and "rejoice", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "Thine own friend and the friend of..." into verse 12's "The prudent hath seen the evil he...", so "wise" and "rejoice" 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 "wise" and "rejoice" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.