Proverbs 16:24

Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

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Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
Pleasant	נֹ֑עַם No.'am	H5278	agreeableness · noun, common masculine singular absolute
words	אִמְרֵי 'im.rei-	H561	something said · noun, common masculine plural construct
honeycomb	צוּף tzuf-	H6688	comb of honey (from dripping) · noun, common masculine singular construct
sweet	מָת֥וֹק ma.Tok	H4966	sweet · adjective, masculine singular absolute
soul	לַ֝נֶּפֶשׁ La.ne.fesh	H5315	properly · preposition with the article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
health	וּמַרְפֵּ֥א u.mar.Pe'	H4832	properly · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular absolute
bones	לָעָֽצֶם la.'A.tzem	H6106	a bone (as strong) · preposition with the article + noun, common feminine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Proverbs 12:18 There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.
Proverbs 24:13-14 My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste:
Proverbs 4:22 For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
Proverbs 25:11-12 A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.
Proverbs 23:16 Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.
Psalms 119:103 How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Proverbs 3:8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
Proverbs 27:9 Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man’s friend by hearty counsel.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 16:24

The pleasant words here commended must be those which the heart of the wise teaches, and adds learning to (Pro 16:23), words of seasonable advice, instruction, and comfort, words taken from God's word, for that is it which Solomon had learned from his father to account sweeter than honey and the honey-comb, Psa 19:10. These words, to those that know how to relish them, 1. Are pleasant. They are like the honey-comb, sweet to the soul, which tastes in them that the Lord is gracious; nothing more grateful and agreeable to the new man than the word of God, and those words which are borrowed from it, Psa 119:103. 2. They are wholesome. Many things are pleasant that are not profitable, but these p…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 16:24

(Compare Pro 15:26). Gentle, kind words, by soothing the mind, give the body health.

John Gill on Proverbs 16:24

Pleasant words are as an honeycomb,.... Jarchi interprets it of the words of the law; but it may be much better understood of the doctrines of the Gospel; such as the doctrines of God's everlasting love, eternal election, the covenant of grace, the person of Christ as God-man; of peace and reconciliation by his blood; of remission of sins through his atoning sacrifice; of justification by his righteousness; of life and salvation by his obedience, sufferings, and death; all the doctrines of grace, which show that salvation in all its parts is owing entirely to the free grace of God; these are all pleasant to the ear of him that knows the joyful sound, and to the taste of everyone that has tas…

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Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 16:24

24 A honeycomb are pleasant words, Sweet to the soul, and healing to the bones. Honeycomb, i.e., honey flowing from the צוּף, the comb or cell (favus), is otherwise designated, Psa 19:11. מתוק, with מרפּא, is neut. אמרי־נעם are, according to Pro 15:26, words which love suggests, and which breathe love. Such words are sweet to the soul of the hearer, and bring strength and healing to his bones (Pro 15:30); for מרפא is not only that which restores soundness, but also that which preserves and advances it (cf. θεραπεία, Rev 22:2).

The Church Fathers

A honeycomb, composed words, etc. Many can sweetly pronounce good things through eloquence to those who love and favor them, which, however, they themselves do not love nor care to do. But words proceed only from the inner sweetness of your soul, which lead to the health of your bones, that is, to the spiritual growth of your virtues.
— Bede, Commentary on Proverbs

The sea is holy Scripture which has within it profound meanings and the mysterious depths of the prophets. Into this sea many rivers have entered. Delightful and clear are these streams. These fountains are cool, springing up into life everlasting. There, too, are "pleasant words, like honeycomb," and courteous conversations which water souls with the sweetness of moral commands. The streams of holy Scripture are diverse; you know that which you should drink from first, second, and last.
— Ambrose of Milan, LETTER 15

You who love instruction and are eager to listen, receive once again the sacred words: delight yourselves in the honey of wisdom; for so it is written, "Good words are honeycombs, and their sweetness is the healing of the soul." For the labor of the bees is very sweet and benefits in many ways the soul of man; but the divine and saving [honey] makes those in whom it dwells skillful in every good work and teaches them the ways of [spiritual] improvement.
— Cyril of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 120

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Honey — (1.) Heb. ya’ar, occurs only 1 Sam. 14:25, 27, 29; Cant. 5:1, where it denotes the honey of bees. Properly the word signifies a forest or copse, and refers to honey found in woods. (2.) Nopheth,…
Honey · In the honeycomb sweetest and most valuable — In the honeycomb sweetest and most valuable
Speaking · WISDOM IN — WISDOM IN
Wisdom · .UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO — .UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Proverbs 16:24

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 16:24

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 16:24

John Gill on Proverbs 16:24

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 16:24

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Proverbs 16:24

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 16:24

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 16:24

John Gill on Proverbs 16:24

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 16:24

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Proverbs 16:18

Rashi on Proverbs 16:24