Proverbs 16:24

Pleasant words are like ¹  a honeycomb, ²  sweet to the soul and healing ³  to the bones.

biblegateway Pro 16:24

Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

biblegateway Pro 16:24

Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.

biblegateway Pro 16:24

Kind words are like honey––sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.

biblegateway Pro 16:24

Gracious speech is like clover honey--good taste to the soul, quick energy for the body.

SABDAweb Pro 16:24

Pleasing words are like honey, sweet to the soul and new life to the bones.

bibleoremus Pro 16:24

Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

biblegateway Pro 16:24

Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

biblegateway Pro 16:24

Pleasant words are like ¹  a honeycomb, ²  sweet to the soul and healing ³  to the bones.

¹ tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

² sn The metaphor of honey or the honeycomb is used elsewhere in scripture, notably Ps 19:10 [11]. Honey was used in Israel as a symbol of the delightful and healthy products of the land – “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Deut 6:3).

³ sn Two predicates are added to qualify the metaphor: The pleasant words are “sweet” and “healing.” “Soul” includes in it the appetites, physical and spiritual; and so sweet to the “soul” would summarize all the ways pleasant words give pleasure. “Bones” is a metonymy of subject, the boney framework representing the whole person, body and soul. Pleasant words, like honey, will enliven and encourage the whole person. One might recall, in line with the imagery here, how Jonathan’s eyes brightened when he ate from the honeycomb (1 Sam 14:27).