New English Translation
Proverbs 14:10
10The heart knows its own bitterness, and with its joy no one else can share.
Proverbs 14:10 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy.
- New International Version (NIV)Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy.
- New King James Version (NKJV)The heart knows its own bitterness, And a stranger does not share its joy.
Context of Proverbs 14:10
8The wisdom of the shrewd person is to discern his way, but the folly of fools is deception. 9Fools mock at reparation, but among the upright there is favor. The heart knows its own bitterness, and with its joy no one else can share. 11The household of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. 12There is a way that seems right to a person, but its end is the way that leads to death.
Read all of Proverbs 14Proverbs 14:10 word by word
לֵ֗ב י֭וֹדֵעַ מָרַּ֣ת נַפְשׁ֑וֹ וּ֝בְשִׂמְחָת֗וֹ לֹא־יִתְעָ֥רַב זָֽר׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 14:10
- Proverbs 15:13A joyful heart makes the face cheerful, but by a painful heart the spirit is broken.
- Proverbs 18:14A person’s spirit sustains him through sickness – but who can bear a crushed spirit?
- 1 Samuel 1:10She was very upset as she prayed to the Lord, and she was weeping uncontrollably.
- 2 Kings 4:27But when she reached the prophet on the mountain, she grabbed hold of his feet. Gehazi came near to push her away, but the prophet said, “Leave her alone, for she is very upset. The Lord has kept the matter hidden from me; he didn’t tell me about it.”
- Job 6:2“Oh, if only my grief could be weighed, and my misfortune laid on the scales too!
- Job 7:11“Therefore, I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
- Job 9:18He does not allow me to recover my breath, for he fills me with bitterness.
- Job 10:1“I am weary of my life; I will complain without restraint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul.
- Ezekiel 3:14A wind lifted me up and carried me away. I went bitterly, my spirit full of fury, and the hand of the Lord rested powerfully on me.
- Mark 14:33He took Peter, James, and John with him, and became very troubled and distressed.
- John 12:27“Now my soul is greatly distressed. And what should I say? ‘Father, deliver me from this hour’? No, but for this very reason I have come to this hour.
- Genesis 42:21They said to one other, “Surely we’re being punished because of our brother, because we saw how distressed he was when he cried to us for mercy, but we refused to listen. That is why this distress has come on us!”
- Psalms 25:14The Lord’s loyal followers receive his guidance, and he reveals his covenantal demands to them.
- John 14:18“I will not abandon you as orphans, I will come to you.
- Philippians 4:7And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
- 1 Peter 1:8You have not seen him, but you love him. You do not see him now but you believe in him, and so you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,
Commentaries on Proverbs 14:10
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 10The heart knoweth his own bitterness - נפשו מרת morrath naphsho, "The bitterness of its soul." Under spiritual sorrow, the heart feels, the soul feels; all the animal nature feels and suffers. But when the peace of God is spoken to the troubled soul, the joy is indescribable; the whole man partakes of it. And a stranger to these religious feelings, to the travail of the soul, and to the witness of the Spirit, does not intermeddle with them; he does not…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 10A striking expression of the ultimate solitude of each man‘s soul at all times, and not merely at the hour of death. Something there is in every sorrow, and in every joy, which no one else can share. Beyond that range it is well to remember that there is a Divine Sympathy, uniting perfect knowledge and perfect love.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10Verse 10 We do not know what stings of conscience, or consuming passions, torment the prosperous sinner. Nor does the world know the peace of mind a serious Christian enjoys, even in poverty and sickness.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 10No one can completely understand another person's emotions (compare Psalm 103:14; Isaiah 63:9; Nahum 1:7; Romans 8:27). Bitterness and joy are opposites in emotions. This poetic device, called merism, refers to these extremes to cover all emotions in between.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1010. Each one best knows his own sorrows or joys.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 14:10
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 14
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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