Proverbs 16:24

Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
– Proverbs 16:24

The word for pleasant means agreeable and even beautiful. Such words are compared here to honey, which is sweet to the taste and also nourishing to the body. Well spoken words of wisdom differ from flattery. Flattery sounds good, so it might be said to be sweet to the taste but ends bitterly (Proverbs 5:3-4). The contrast of the effects of words is made directly elsewhere in Proverbs (Proverbs 12:18; 15:26). This proverb speaks specifically to the blessing of wise speech (Proverbs 15:23; 23:16; 25:11-12; 27:9). Wisdom is of great value because it is not only aesthetically pleasing but soul nourishing and life saving (Proverbs 24:13-14).

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