Bible verse wall art
Proverbs 27: friends who sharpen each other
Proverbs 27 reads like a notebook of advice from someone who has seen a lot of friendships tested. Its best known line, about iron on iron, has become a motto for men's groups, teams and mentors.
Proverbs 27 print
Proverbs 27 · King James Version
17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend
Proverbs copied by Hezekiah's men
Chapters 25 to 29 of Proverbs open with a note: these are also proverbs of Solomon, which the men of Hezekiah king of Judah copied out. Unlike the long speeches of the early chapters, they are mostly single sayings of two lines, each one complete on its own, often built on a comparison drawn from farm, home or workshop.
Chapter 27 begins with a warning against boasting about tomorrow, since no one knows what a day may bring, and against praising yourself: let another do it. It ends with a small portrait of rural life, telling the reader to know well the state of the flocks, because riches do not last forever.
Honest friendship
Between those two ends, friendship keeps returning. Faithful are the wounds of a friend, verse 6 says, while an enemy offers plenty of kisses. Verse 9 compares the sweetness of a friend's sincere counsel to perfume that gladdens the heart. Verse 10 advises not to abandon your own friend or your father's friend. The chapter prefers the friend who tells the truth over the one who flatters.
What does “iron sharpeneth iron” mean?
Verse 17 draws its image from the smith's forge: Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. A blade grows keen by contact with another hard surface. Friction is part of the process. In the same way, people become wiser and sharper through honest conversation, disagreement and challenge with someone who cares about them.
Countenance means face, and in Hebrew thought the face shows the whole person, mood and character together. The proverb promises not a comfortable friendship but a formative one. Two verses later, the chapter adds that as water reflects a face, so one heart reflects another.
The Anvil and Swords print, in a bold linocut style with ochre rays, gives the verse a workshop feel. It is Christian wall art often chosen for a men's Bible study, a garage or study, groomsmen, a coach, or Father's Day.
The same idea in the rest of Scripture
Ecclesiastes 4 says two are better than one, for if one falls the other can lift him up. Jonathan strengthened David's hand in God when Saul was hunting him, in 1 Samuel 23. And Hebrews 10 asks believers to consider one another, to provoke unto love and to good works.