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Proverbs 27:9

Old Testament Wisdom/Poetry ASV (1901)

What does Proverbs 27:9 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; So doth the sweetness of a man`s friend [that cometh] of hearty counsel.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; So doth the sweetness of a man`s friend [that cometh] of hearty counsel.
Proverbs 27:9 — American Standard Version

Context — Proverbs 27

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
6Faithful are the wounds of a friend; But the kisses of an enemy are profuse.
7The full soul loatheth a honeycomb; But to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
8As a bird that wandereth from her nest, So is a man that wandereth from his place.
9Oil and perfume rejoice the heart; So doth the sweetness of a man`s friend [that cometh] of hearty counsel.
10Thine own friend, and thy father`s friend, forsake not; And go not to thy brother`s house in the day of thy calamity: Better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off.
11My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, That I may answer him that reproacheth me.
12A prudent man seeth the evil, [and] hideth himself; [But] the simple pass on, [and] suffer for it.
← Proverbs 27:8Proverbs 27:10 →
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What do historical commentaries say?

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“rejoice the heart--the organ of perceiving what pleases the senses. sweetness . . . counsel--or, "wise counsel is also pleasing."”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“27:9 Nothing is more encouraging than heartfelt counsel from an intimate friend (see also 27:6).”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Ointment: Pro 7:17; Jdg 9:9; Psa 45:7, Psa 45:8, Psa 104:15, Psa 133:2; Sol 1:3, Sol 3:6, Sol 4:10; Joh 12:3; Co2 2:15, Co2 2:16 so: Pro 15:23, Pro 16:21, Pro 16:23, Pro 16:24; Exo 18:17-24; Sa1 23:16, Sa1 23:17; Ezr 10:2-4; Act 28:15 by hearty counsel: Heb. from the counsel of the soul Proverbs 27:10”
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Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · 19th-century historical commentary
“The two following proverbs have in common the catchword רע, and treat of the value of friendship: - 9 Oil and frankincense rejoice the heart; And the sweet discourse of a friend from a counselling of soul. Regarding the perfuming with dry aromas, and sprinkling with liquid aromas, as a mark of honour towards guests, and as a means of promoting joyful social fellowship, vid., at Pro 7:16., Pro 21:17. The pred. ישׂמּח comprehends frankincense or oil as the two sides of one and the same thing; the lxx introduces, from Psa 104:15, also wine. It also reads ומתק רעה as one word, וּמתקרעת: καταῤῥήγνυται δὲ ὑπὸ συμπτωμάτων ψυχή, which Hitzig regards as original; for he translates,…”
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Related study paths

Read Proverbs 27 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification