Proverbs 27:17

“a man sharpeneth . . . friend--that is, conversation promotes intelligence, which the face exhibits.”

“The proverb expresses the gain of mutual counsel as found in clear, well-defined thoughts. Two minds, thus acting on each other, become more acute. This is better than to see in “sharpening” the idea of provoking, and the point of the maxim in the fact that the quarrels of those who have been friends are bitter in proportion to their previous intimacy. return to 'Top of Page'”

“Iron - Iron tools are made sharp and fit for use, by rubbing them against the file, or some other iron. The countenance - The company or conversation of his friend. Proverbs 27:18”

“27:17 iron sharpens iron: Wisdom comes from interaction, often critical, with a good friend (see 27:6, 9).”

“Iron: Sa1 13:20, Sa1 13:21 so: Pro 27:9; Jos 1:18, Jos 2:24; Sa1 11:9, Sa1 11:10, Sa1 23:16; Sa2 10:11, Sa2 10:12; Job 4:3, Job 4:4; Isa 35:3, Isa 35:4; Th1 3:3; Ti2 1:8, Ti2 1:12, Ti2 2:3, Ti2 2:9-13; Heb 10:24; Jam 1:2; Pe1 4:12, Pe1 4:13 Proverbs 27:18”

“This proverb expresses the influence arising from the intercourse of man with man: Iron is sharpened by iron, And a man may sharpen the appearance of another. When the Masora reads יחד, Ewald remarks, it interprets the word as denoting "at the same time," and the further meaning of the proverb must then accord therewith. Accordingly he translates: "iron together with iron! and one together with the face of another!" But then the prep. ב or עם is wanting after the second יחד - for יחד is, in spite of Ewald, 217h, never a prep. - and the "face," 17b, would be a perplexing superfluity. Hitzig already replies, but without doing homage to the traditional text-punctuation, that such a violence to…”