Hello, hello! It’s good to be back here with you! How have you been feeling about this foundational series? Are you learning anything new or helpful? If you’ve missed our previous posts in the series, you can click here to catch up. Start with the post from December 31, 2025, and work your way forward.
In the last post, we got started with breaking down Proverbs 17:22, KJV, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.” in its original Hebrew words. We covered the words merry and heart and discussed their deeper meanings in the context of the verse. In this post, we’re going to be talking about how our merry hearts doeth good like a medicine. Spoiler alert: one of these words is used only once in the entirety of the Bible.
As we get started, I’m going to keep reminding you: I am not a biblical scholar. I was raised a Christian, and my dad was a preacher for much of my childhood. That said, my current theology and interpretation of the Bible are definitely my own and do not fall in line with any particular religion or christian denomination. Everything I’m about to discuss is my interpretation of what the Bible is telling us based on history, context and the original language it’s written in, and is not based on any religious theology, although areas may overlap. I am not trying to convince anyone of anything. I’m just sharing my own takeaways. As always, I point you back to God, the Creator of All Things here. Don’t take my word for any of this. Pray about it and seek discernment for yourself.
As I mentioned in the last email, we know the Bible has gone through many translations, and the fact it’s important to understand the original language and context of what you’re reading, is why I like to study scripture by looking into the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), so I have a better understanding of what a verse is truly saying. I’m certainly not a Hebrew expert and I’m relying on other sources for help. For my breakdown below, I’ve used the Blue Letter Bible website and the Strong’s Concordance as my main reference for the Hebrew words and meanings. I’m going to break down what each word means, and then we’ll tie it all together at the end. The pronunciation for each Hebrew word is in parentheses after the word. For any english words that I define further, I just googled the word and used the Oxford Languages or Miriam-Webster definition that came up.
Let’s take a look at the definitions for “doeth good like a medicine.”
(Doeth) Good – The Hebrew word used here is yāṭaḇ (yaw-tab’). This is a verb that means to be (causative), make well. Literally the word means sound or beautiful, and figuratively means happy, successful, right.
- to be good, be pleasing, be well, be glad
- (Qal)
- to be glad, be joyful
- to be well placed
- to be well for, be well with, go well with
- to be pleasing, be pleasing to
- (Hiphil)
- to make glad, rejoice
- to do good to, deal well with
- to do well, do thoroughly
- to make a thing good or right or beautiful
- to do well, do right
- (Qal)
Medicine – The Hebrew word used here is gêâ (gay-haw’). This is a feminine noun that literally means medicine, a cure, a healing. *Note that this specific Hebrew word is used only once in Hebrew verses, and that one time is this verse.*
I think we all understand just how important it is for us to have a merry heart. It’s literally the basis for everything when it comes to mind, body, soul health. What does a merry heart do? It doeth good like a medicine. Let’s look at the phrase doeth good, and the meanings above. We see the Hebrew word yāṭaḇ (yaw-tab’) has causative, literal and figurative meanings. It’s important to note how much meaning this one word holds. A merry heart not only causes you to be well, but makes you well, and to do well. Then on top of that, it literally means sound and beautiful and figuratively means happy and successful. You are literally and figuratively made well, sound, and happy. Your merry heart (and all that entails as we discussed in the last post) causes you to be well. Note its literal meanings, too: sound and beautiful. Let’s look at the word sound. Here, the word is an adjective, as in having a “sound mind”. The definition of sound in this sense tells us a lot.
- In good condition, not damaged, injured or diseased
- Based on reason, sense, or judgement (competent, reliable, holding acceptable views)
- (of sleep) deep and undisturbed
We see that by actively having a merry heart (and all that entails), we actively make ourselves well and sound. When we have the contents of our Ark in order, we will be in good condition, not damaged, injured, or diseased. We will act out of reason, sense and judgment – not judging others but using good judgement (discernment) for ourselves. We will be competent and reliable. We will be able to have rest. I know that the definition says sleep, but we’re going back and forth between physical and spiritual here, and when we’re seeking God, when we’re working on the contents of our Ark, when we’re acting right and not hurting others, when we are of sound mind, we get to have true rest that comes from the Creator of All Things. There you find peace. Looking back at the definitions for “doeth good,” I want you to really take in all that it means and that it is active. When you are active in your work of a “merry heart,” that merry heart then actively doeth good for you – it says “to be glad, to be joyful, to be well placed, to be well for, be well with, go well with, to be pleasing, be pleasing to, to make glad, rejoice, to do good to, deal well with, to do well, do thoroughly, to make a thing good or right or beautiful, to do well, do right.”
Look at that list! Look at all the ways your “merry heart doeth good like a medicine”! Your choice and active participation in your innermost workings and being, result in incredible things. It not only makes you glad, but you will be glad. You will make a thing good or right or beautiful. You will be well. The promise of your healing only gets deeper. When you look at the Hebrew word used for medicine above, you see that it means exactly that – medicine, a cure, a healing. This word is only used this one time in the whole of the Hebrew portion of the Bible. Once. Out of all 39 (Protestant-accepted) books in the Old Testament, this word, gêâ (gay-haw’), is used only once to tell us what our true medicine is: a merry heart. You really can’t get any more specific than that. The state of our minds and hearts literally dictates the state of our health and well-being.
One of the first things I noticed about this particular Hebrew word is that it reminded me of the word “gaia” (also spelled gaea), especially in its pronunciation, so I had to dig a little deeper. Gaia has a few meanings. In Greek mythology, Gaia represented Mother Earth. In many religions and spiritual traditions, “mother” earth is the feminine counterpart to the masculine, heavenly “father”. The Gaia Hypothesis posits that the Earth is a complex, self-regulating system in which all organisms are intimately connected and integrated with each other to maintain homeostasis. In his book The Practice of Traditional Western Herbalism, Matthew Wood, who has a Masters of Science in Herbalism, states, “Holistic medicine is founded on the concept, and experience, that the organism is a functional unit, or whole, under the directing hand of an intelligent, self-regulating, and self-correcting guiding life-force or energy. Since nature and the organism is self-maintaining and self-healing, holistic medicine is further based upon the assumption that an organism can be cured. That is, returned from an unbalanced state to one of balance, or homeostasis.” In other words, the science of holistic medicine supports The Gaia Hypothesis and directly correlates to what Proverbs 17:22 is telling us: Our bodies are innately capable of healing and there is a cure! Doing the work of having a cheerful, or merry, heart is what brings healing and homeostasis to our bodies. I also want to point out that this Hebrew word is a feminine noun. Our medicine has a feminine energy to it. That’s a big concept to take in, but if we can make some really broad connections here, I think we can see some deeper meanings at play.
We are most definitely of this earth, and connected to everything that is around us. We are part of nature, part of this earth, part of the whole system of plants, animals, microbes and other organisms that drive this planet forward. We are not separate from nature or our Creator. Our Creator clearly tells us multiple times in the Bible that we are responsible for this Earth. Our Creator clearly tells us multiple times in the Bible that the plants and the herbs and some of the animals are for our nourishment and health. We’re going to talk about this in depth later on, but as humans, we need the fresh air, water, sunshine, microbes, shade, food, and other resources that the Earth provides. In this context, we really can look at the Earth as our “mother” in a sense. I know that I’m about to make some very general statements, so please realize there’s nuance to everything I’m about to say. Everyone has different life situations, but I’m talking here about general human behaviors/characteristics/energies. Think about all the ways we need our mothers: as babies, we obviously need mothers to do the very physical work of bringing us into this world, but we rely on our mothers for food, nourishment, guidance. And who amongst us when we’re sick or hurting doesn’t wish for our moms or for “mothering”? We want hugs, to be held, chicken soup, hot tea, advice, guidance, wisdom. We want all the nurturing things that the feminine energy brings. I think when we start to think of things in this sense, we can see how we can look to the Earth as our “mother”, as another way that we receive provision, mercy, blessings and grace from our heavenly “father”. I would assert that the heavenly “father” brings the ideas and action of creation, and the earthly “mother” is then the vessel to bring forth that creation. The Earth is the vessel that holds all of these provisions and creations that sustain us during our time here. The Earth is the vessel that holds each of us. The Earth holds all of the things that we as humans create. We are innately and intimately connected to Mother Earth and all of nature. We are nature. Our “mother” earth is also a medicine for us in a multitude of ways, with healing plants, fresh air, water, and all the other things she provides for us.
In The Essene Gospel of Peace, Jesus is quoted as saying, “I tell you in very truth, Man is the Son of the Earthly Mother, and from her did the Son of Man receive his whole body, even as the body of the newborn babe is born of the womb of his mother. I tell you truly, you are one with the Earthly Mother; she is in you, and you in her. Of her were you born, in her do you live, and to her shall you return again. Keep, therefore, her laws, for none can live long, neither be happy, but he who honors his Earthly Mother and does her laws. For your breath is her breath; your blood her blood; your bone her bone; your flesh her flesh; your bowels her bowels; your eyes and your ears are her eyes and her ears.”
Those are beautiful and powerful words that speak directly to the power of connection and healing we can find from the natural world around us. In these same passages, Jesus goes on to talk about the Angel of Air, Angel of Water, and the Angel of Sunshine and how we need to seek these things to be truly well, and to have good health. These natural things of the Earth hold what our minds, bodies and souls need.
Regardless of how you might feel about “mother” earth, you can still see that the basic definition of this word is medicine, a cure, a healing. Our merry hearts doeth good for us like a medicine. Merry hearts doeth good like a cure, a healing.
This is where I have to bring us back to the word for heart that we looked at before. Remember that lēḇ (lave) is a masculine noun. Here for the word medicine, we have a feminine noun. Take a moment to think about how these energies work in tandem to bring healing. The masculine energy helps us to identify the areas that need work, and that masculine energy also helps us to take action, to do the work, to CHOOSE to SHOW our joy and thankfulness. In the meantime, that feminine energy is bringing the nurturing medicine that we need to heal. The feminine energy brings the quiet stillness, the flow of emotion, the wisdom to know what it is our bodies, minds and souls are saying to us. The feminine energy is the vessel that holds space for us to do the actual work of healing. And whether our medicine is a mental or emotional change, or it comes through physical changes, we can’t deny that God is the One True Physician, and if we seek God in our innermost being, at the mercy seat, healing can’t be far behind.
Reflection
As I continue to study this verse, I know that I personally have a lot of work to do in my own life. The flares of physical symptoms that I have, along with racing thoughts and bouts of anxiety or depression tell me that things are out of alignment, out of balance, and I’m not being consistent in various areas. I’m so encouraged, though, because this verse is a beautiful promise that when we do the hard work of creating true merry hearts, and living in that energy, we have real healing, a real cure waiting for us. Please take time to reread these definitions and what they mean. Pray about what you’ve read and seek wisdom and discernment for yourself. Seek God’s guidance. As always, take what resonates with you and leave the rest here.
What do you see in the definitions of the words “doeth good like a medicine”? Do you have different takeaways or perspectives? What areas of your mind and heart need active work? What things are you carrying in your personal Ark that might be holding you back from having a “merry heart”?
Do you feel a connection to the Earth, or to nature? Do you connect with, or resonate with, the idea of a “Mother Earth”? Do you think the Earth acts a vessel for God’s creation, and therefore holds all the things we need to physically sustain us (plants as food, plants as medicine, air, water, ions, energies, etc.)? Do you feel different in any way (better/refreshed/renewed/held) when you get outside to spend time in nature? Do you think it’s interesting that this word for medicine is used only once in the entire Bible? Do you think that makes it important to pay attention to?
I think we’ve gotten a good idea of how “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine,” so in the next email, we’ll take a look at the second half of the verse to learn how “a broken spirit drieth the bones.” In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you! Be sure to leave a comment here for discussion or send me an email to let me know your thoughts or takeaways. I’d also be happy to offer you encouragement as you work on your own healing journey. I’ll see you back in this space soon!
With gratitude, sending love and blessings
Kelly
P.S. If you have a few extra minutes today, I highly recommend you take a few minutes to watch this video with Dr. Gladys McGarey. She has such beautiful words about healing from within and living with love. I love her spirit so much.
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