Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.
Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.
Iron sharpeneth iron; So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
Iron makes iron sharp; so a man makes sharp his friend.
Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens his friend's countenance.
Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
Iron sharpeneth iron - As hard iron, viz., steel, will bring a knife to a better edge when it is properly whetted against it: so one friend may be the means of exciting another to reflect, dive deeply into, and illustrate a subject, without which whetting or excitement, this had never taken place. Had Horace seen this proverb in the Septuagint translation when he wrote to the Pisos?
Ergo fungar vice cotis, acutum
Reddere quae ferrum valet, exors ipsa secandi.
Hor. Ars. Poet., ver. 304.
"But let me sharpen others, as the hone
Gives edge to razors, though itself have none."
Francis.
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.
27:17 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.