Proverbs 14:10 kjv
The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy.
Proverbs 14:10 nkjv
The heart knows its own bitterness, And a stranger does not share its joy.
Proverbs 14:10 niv
Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.
Proverbs 14:10 esv
The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy.
Proverbs 14:10 nlt
Each heart knows its own bitterness,
and no one else can fully share its joy.
Proverbs 14 10 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Job 7:11 | "Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit..." | Personal anguish of spirit |
| Job 10:1 | "I loathe my life; I will give free utterance to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul." | Bitterness of soul articulated |
| Ps 25:17 | "Relieve the troubles of my heart, and bring me out of my distress." | Heart's private troubles acknowledged by God |
| Ps 31:10 | "For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails..." | Internal wearing down from sorrow |
| Jer 8:18 | "My sorrow is beyond healing, my heart is faint within me." | Overwhelming, internal, private sorrow |
| Lam 1:12 | "Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow..." | Solitude of intense suffering |
| Matt 26:38 | "Then he said to them, 'My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.'" | Christ's internal, profound sorrow |
| Mk 14:34 | "...He said to them, 'My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.'" | Emphasizes Christ's private grief |
| Jn 16:22 | "So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice..." | Future joy known deeply by heart |
| Acts 1:24 | "...You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen..." | God alone knows all hearts |
| 1 Cor 2:11 | "For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person which is in him?" | Only internal spirit knows itself fully |
| 2 Cor 5:17 | "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." | The profound inner transformation |
| Gal 6:5 | "For each will have to bear his own load." | Personal responsibility for one's spiritual burden |
| Phil 4:4 | "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!" | Inner commanded joy |
| 1 Pet 1:8 | "Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy..." | Internal, inexpressible spiritual joy |
| Neh 8:10 | "...for the joy of the Lord is your strength." | Inner joy as a source of divine strength |
| Prov 13:12 | "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life." | The internal impact of hope and fulfillment |
| Prov 15:13 | "A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed." | Inner heart directly impacts external expression |
| 1 Ki 8:39 | "...then hear in heaven Your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know, for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men." | Only God fully knows the heart |
| Ps 139:1-4 | "O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar... even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether." | God's absolute knowledge of the inner person |
| Jer 17:10 | "I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways..." | God as the ultimate searcher of hearts |
| Heb 4:12-13 | "...For the word of God is living and active... discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." | God's Word pierces and reveals the heart |
Proverbs 14 verses
Proverbs 14 10 Meaning
Proverbs 14:10 profoundly conveys the deeply personal and private nature of one's innermost emotional experiences. It declares that the depths of a person's sorrow and the fullness of their joy are known truly only to their own heart and spirit. While others may witness outward expressions or offer sympathy, no one can fully comprehend the unique internal landscape of another's pain or delight. It underscores the limitations of human empathy and external understanding regarding an individual's spiritual and emotional life.
Proverbs 14 10 Context
Proverbs chapter 14 largely focuses on the contrast between wisdom and folly, righteousness and wickedness, and the resulting impact on life and relationships. This verse specifically contributes to the understanding of the human heart, its internal operations, and its experiences, which often remain concealed from external observation. It is a piece of practical wisdom that sets boundaries on human understanding and empathy, suggesting that certain internal states are uniquely one's own. Historically and culturally, the ancient Near Eastern world, including Israel, highly valued communal life. However, this proverb reminds us that even within close-knit communities, each individual possesses an inner sanctum of emotion and experience known only to themselves and, ultimately, to God.
Proverbs 14 10 Word analysis
- The heart (לֵב - lev): In Hebrew thought, the "heart" is not merely the seat of emotions, but the very core of a person's being—encompassing intellect, will, conscience, moral character, and one's inner spirit. It refers to the integrated totality of a person's internal self.
- knows (יָדַע - yada): This word signifies more than intellectual recognition; it implies deep, intimate, personal, and experiential knowledge. It suggests a direct and internal awareness that comes from being the subject of the experience.
- its own (נַפְשׁוֹ - nafsho): Refers to "its soul" or "itself." The nefesh denotes the living being, the very essence of personhood. This emphasizes the highly individual and intrinsic nature of the emotion.
- bitterness (מָרַת - marat): Meaning grief, sorrow, anguish, affliction, or even a sense of injustice. It describes a state of deep, personal suffering.
- and a stranger (וְזָר - v'zar): "Stranger" refers to an outsider, someone not privy to intimate relationship or shared experience. It highlights the detached nature of an observer who lacks the capacity to truly comprehend.
- does not share (לֹא יִתְעָרַב - lo yit'arav): This phrase literally means "will not mingle" or "will not intermeddle/partake." It conveys a complete lack of genuine participation or understanding from an external perspective. No one can fully enter into or absorb another's inner world of emotion.
- its joy (בְּשִׂמְחָתוֹ - b'simchato): Refers to the internal state of gladness, delight, or rejoicing. The contrast between bitterness and joy emphasizes that both extremes of profound emotion are equally private.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "The heart knows its own bitterness": This first clause asserts the introspective nature of deep suffering. The heart—the entire inner being—has an exclusive, intimate awareness of its own anguish. This sorrow is personal and cannot be fully conveyed or grasped by another.
- "and a stranger does not share its joy": The second clause provides a stark contrast, extending the principle to profound happiness. Just as suffering is private, so too is genuine, deep joy. An outsider, lacking true intimate connection, cannot fully participate in or grasp the essence of another's true gladness. This parallelism highlights the universal principle of the privacy of emotion. The use of "stranger" underlines the inability of anyone lacking such intimate, personal experience to genuinely connect with the depths of the other's heart, whether in pain or gladness.
Proverbs 14 10 Bonus section
This proverb implicitly validates personal experience, recognizing that an individual's journey with God and life's circumstances results in unique internal landscapes of joy and sorrow. It underscores that spiritual experience is deeply individual, even within a corporate body of believers. While we are called to bear one another's burdens (Gal 6:2) and rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep (Rom 12:15), the proverb sets a boundary: the true depth and essence of these emotions remain intimately tied to the individual heart. This reality should cultivate compassion and cautious non-judgment, understanding that even the closest companions cannot fully know what another truly feels. Ultimately, it highlights the unique privilege and burden of having a private internal world known entirely by the Creator.
Proverbs 14 10 Commentary
Proverbs 14:10 provides a profound insight into the human condition: the most intensely personal emotional experiences, whether agonizing bitterness or overflowing joy, are fundamentally private. It points to the intrinsic isolation of the human soul in its deepest internal struggles and triumphs. While external expressions might be visible and shared, the subjective reality of these feelings remains the exclusive domain of the individual heart. This truth has several implications: it encourages humility in assuming one can fully comprehend another's plight or elation, emphasizing the limitations of human empathy. It implicitly directs individuals towards a deeper reliance on God, who alone is able to fully discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Jer 17:10; Heb 4:12).