“A cheerful heart is a good medicine”: “A cheerful heart” translates the same Hebrew expression as used in 15.13, where it is rendered “a glad heart” by Revised Standard Version. See there for comments. “A good medicine” is literally “does good to the gehah,” a Hebrew word whose meaning is uncertain because it occurs only here in the Old Testament. Whybray relates it to a verb meaning “to heal.” In this case the line says “A cheerful heart [that is, being cheerful, joyful] causes good healing,” which can also be expressed “. . . causes a sick person to recover.” Hebrew Old Testament Text Project rates the Hebrew text a “B” and translates it “A cheerful heart improves appearance” or “A cheerful heart hastens healing.” Revised English Bible says “A glad heart makes for good health,” and Moffatt has “A glad heart helps and heals.” Another way of expressing the line is “If you are always happy, sickness will not spoil your life.”

“But a downcast spirit dries up the bones”: This line contrasts with the first and is similar in thought to 14.30b. “A downcast spirit” translates the same Hebrew expression as used in 15.13, where it is rendered by Revised Standard Version as “spirit is broken,” meaning “despair” or “discouragement.” “Bones” as part of the body here represents the whole body. “Dries up the bones” contrasts with “makes for good healing” and means “to lose energy,” “go downhill in health,” or even “to die away,” that is, “to die slowly.” See 14.30b for a similar expression, “makes the bones rot.” Good News Translation says “It is slow death. . .,” and Revised English Bible “sap one’s strength.” We may render this line, for example, “but a despairing heart takes away a person’s strength.”

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .