Bible Strands
Proverbs 14:10
The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares in its joy.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The wisdom writer addresses Israel within a structured collection of maxims, positioning this observation between the call to pursue reconciliation and the warning about the destruction of the wicked. The words — לֵ֗ב (Lev) denotes the inner seat of thought and emotion, while יִתְעָ֥רַב (yit.'A.rav) literally means to mix or share, indicating that no outsider truly participates in another’s gladness. The thread — This theme of internal isolation and the limits of human empathy appears in Proverbs 15:13, Proverbs 18:14, and Philippians 4:7, which contrasts human emotional boundaries with divine guarding of the heart. Why it lands — The text demands recognition that personal suffering and gladness remain fundamentally private, requiring the reader to rely on God rather than expecting others to fully comprehend or share their inner state.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy.
Cross-references
- Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
- Proverbs 18:14 The spirit of a man can endure his sickness, but who can survive a broken spirit?
- Proverbs 15:13 A joyful heart makes a cheerful countenance, but sorrow of the heart crushes the spirit.
- John 14:18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
- Job 10:1 “I loathe my own life; I will express my complaint and speak in the bitterness of my soul.
- Revelation 2:17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who overcomes, I will give the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone inscribed with a new name, known only to the one who receives it.
- 1 Samuel 1:10 In her bitter distress, Hannah prayed to the LORD and wept with many tears.
- 2 Kings 4:27 When she reached the man of God at the mountain, she clung to his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for her soul is in deep distress, and the LORD has hidden it from me and has not told me.”
- Job 7:11 Therefore I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.
- Psalms 25:14 The LORD confides in those who fear Him, and reveals His covenant to them.