Bible Strands
Proverbs 15:13
A joyful heart makes a cheerful countenance, but sorrow of the heart crushes the spirit.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The wisdom writer addresses readers in a didactic collection, positioning the verse between warnings about the mocker’s refusal of correction and the discerning heart’s pursuit of knowledge.
The words — שָׂ֭מֵחַ (Sa.me.ach) = joyful and נְכֵאָֽה (ne.khe.'Ah) = stricken or crushed, describing the internal state that either brightens or breaks a person.
The thread — The contrast between inner joy and inner sorrow recurs in Proverbs 17:22 and Proverbs 12:25, while the command to guard the heart against trouble appears in John 14:1.
Why it lands — The text states that outward demeanor directly reflects inward condition, asking the reader to recognize that emotional and spiritual health require intentional cultivation rather than passive endurance.
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
A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 17:22 A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.
- John 14:1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe in Me as well.
- Proverbs 12:25 Anxiety weighs down the heart of a man, but a good word cheers it up.
- Proverbs 18:14 The spirit of a man can endure his sickness, but who can survive a broken spirit?
- Proverbs 15:15 All the days of the oppressed are bad, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast.
- 2 Corinthians 7:10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
- 2 Corinthians 2:7 So instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.
- Nehemiah 2:2 so the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, though you are not ill? This could only be sadness of the heart.” I was overwhelmed with fear
- 2 Corinthians 1:12 For this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in relation to you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God—not in worldly wisdom, but in the grace of God.