10 The heart knows its own (A)bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its joy.

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10 The heart knows its own bitterness,[a]
and with its joy no one else[b] can share.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:10 tn Heb “bitterness of its soul.”
  2. Proverbs 14:10 tn Heb “stranger” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).
  3. Proverbs 14:10 tn The verb is the Hitpael of II עָרַב (ʿarav), which means “to take in pledge; to give in pledge; to exchange.” Here it means “to share [in].” The proverb is saying that there are joys and sorrows that cannot be shared. No one can truly understand the deepest feelings of another.

13 Even in laughter the heart may be in pain,
And the (A)end of joy may be grief.

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13 Even in laughter the heart may ache,[a]
and the end[b] of joy may be[c] grief.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:13 sn No joy is completely free of grief. There is a joy that is superficial and there is underlying pain that will remain after the joy is gone.
  2. Proverbs 14:13 tc Heb “and its end, joy, is grief.” The suffix may be regarded as an Aramaism, a proleptic suffix referring to “joy.” Or it may be considered a case of wrong word division, moving the ה (he) to read אַחֲרִית הַשִּׂמְחָה (ʾakharit hassimkhah, “after the joy [may be] grief”) rather than אַחֲרִיתָהּ שִׂמְחָה (ʾakharitah simkhah, “after it, joy, grief”).
  3. Proverbs 14:13 tn The phrase “may be” is not in the Hebrew but is supplied from the parallelism, which features an imperfect of possibility.

13 A (A)joyful heart makes a [a]cheerful face,
But [b]when the heart is (B)sad, the (C)spirit is broken.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 15:13 Lit good
  2. Proverbs 15:13 Lit in sadness of heart

13 A joyful heart[a] makes the face cheerful,[b]
but by a painful heart the spirit is broken.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 15:13 tn The contrast in this proverb is between the “joyful heart” (Heb “a heart of joy,” using an attributive genitive) and the “painful heart” (Heb “pain of the heart,” using a genitive of specification).
  2. Proverbs 15:13 sn The verb יֵיטִב (yetiv) normally means “to make good,” but here “to make the face good,” that is, there is a healthy, favorable, uplifted expression. The antithesis is the pained heart that crushes the spirit. C. H. Toy observes that a broken spirit is expressed by a sad face, while a cheerful face shows a courageous spirit (Proverbs [ICC], 308).

22 A (A)joyful heart [a]is good medicine,
But a broken spirit (B)dries up the bones.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 17:22 Lit causes good healing

22 A cheerful heart[a] brings good healing,[b]
but a crushed spirit[c] dries up the bones.[d]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 17:22 sn Heb “a heart of rejoicing”; KJV “a merry heart”; NAB, NASB “a joyful heart.” This attributive genitive refers to the mind or psyche. A happy and healthy outlook on life brings healing.
  2. Proverbs 17:22 tc The word “healing” is a hapax legomenon; some have suggested changes, such as to Arabic jihatu (“face”) or to גְּוִיָּה (geviyyah, “body”) as in the Syriac and Tg. Prov 17:22, but the MT makes sense as it is and should be retained. tn Heb “it causes good a healing.” This means it promotes healing.
  3. Proverbs 17:22 sn The “crushed spirit” refers to one who is depressed (cf. NAB “a depressed spirit”). “Crushed” is figurative (an implied comparison) for the idea that one’s psyche or will to go on is beaten down by circumstances.
  4. Proverbs 17:22 sn The “bones” figuratively represent the whole body encased in a boney framework (metonymy of subject). “Fat bones” in scripture means a healthy body (3:8; 15:30; 16:24), but “dried up” bones signify unhealthiness and lifelessness (cf. Ezek 37:1-4).

14 The (A)spirit of a person can endure his sickness,
But as for a (B)broken spirit, who can endure it?

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14 A person’s spirit[a] sustains him through sickness—
but who can bear[b] a crushed spirit?[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 18:14 tn Heb “the spirit of a man.” Because the verb of this clause is a masculine form, some have translated this line as “with spirit a man sustains,” but that is an unnecessary change.
  2. Proverbs 18:14 sn This is a rhetorical question, asserting that very few can cope with depression.
  3. Proverbs 18:14 sn The figure of a “crushed spirit” (ASV, NAB, NCV, NRSV “a broken spirit,” comparing depression to something smashed or crushed) suggests a broken will, a loss of vitality, despair, and emotional pain. In physical sickness one can fall back on the will to live, but in depression even the will to live is gone.

20 Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar on [a]soda,
Is one who sings songs to [b]a troubled heart.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 25:20 I.e., natron
  2. Proverbs 25:20 Lit an evil

20 Like one who takes off a garment on a cold day,[a]
or like vinegar poured on soda,[b]
so is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 25:20 tc The consonants of the Hebrew text of this verse are similar to the consonants in v. 19. The LXX has a much longer reading: “Like vinegar is bad for a wound, so a pain that afflicts the body afflicts the heart. Like a moth in a garment, and a worm in wood, so the pain of a man wounds the heart” (NRSV follows much of the LXX reading; NAB follows only the second sentence of the LXX reading). The idea that v. 20 is a dittogram is not very convincing; and the Greek version is too far removed to be of help in the matter.
  2. Proverbs 25:20 tn The second simile mentions pouring vinegar on soda. The LXX has “scab,” but that does not fit as a sensitive thing. The reference is to sodium carbonate (natural in Egypt) which can be neutralized with vinegar.
  3. Proverbs 25:20 sn It is inappropriate and counterproductive to sing songs to a heavy heart. One needs to be sensitive to others (e.g., 1 Sam 19:9).

11 (A)Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad,
So that I may (B)reply to one who taunts me.

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11 Be wise, my son,[a] and make my heart glad,
so that I may answer[b] anyone who taunts me.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 27:11 tn Heb “my son”; the reference to a “son” is retained in the translation here because in the following lines the advice is to avoid women who are prostitutes.
  2. Proverbs 27:11 tn The verb is the cohortative of שׁוּב (shuv); after the two imperatives that provide the instruction, this form with the vav will indicate the purpose or result (indirect volitive sequence).
  3. Proverbs 27:11 sn The expression anyone who taunts me refers to those who would reproach or treat the sage with contempt, condemning him as a poor teacher. Teachers are often criticized for the faults and weaknesses of their students, but any teacher criticized that way takes pleasure in pointing to those who have learned as proof that he has not labored in vain (e.g., 1 Thess 2:19-20; 3:8).

By wrongdoing an evil person is (A)ensnared,
But the righteous (B)sings and rejoices.

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In the transgression of an evil person there is a snare,[a]
but a righteous person can sing[b] and rejoice.[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 29:6 tn The Syriac and Tg. Prov 29:6 simplify the meaning by writing it with a passive verb: “the evil man is ensnared by his guilt.” The metaphor of the snare indicates that the evil person will be caught in his own transgression.
  2. Proverbs 29:6 tc The two verbs create some difficulty because the book of Proverbs does not usually duplicate verbs like this and because the first verb יָרוּן (yarun) is irregular. The BHS editors prefer to emend it to יָרוּץ (yaruts, “will rush”; cf. NAB “runs on joyfully”). W. McKane emends it to “exult” to form a hendiadys: “is deliriously happy” (Proverbs [OTL], 638). G. R. Driver suggests changing the word to יָדוֹן (yadon) based on two Hebrew mss and an Arabic cognate dana, “continue.” He translates it “but the righteous remains and rejoices” (“Problems in the Hebrew Text of Proverbs,” Bib 32 [1951]: 193-94). None of these changes are particularly helpful. The verb is unusual for a geminate root, but Gesenius shows several places where the same pattern can be seen in other geminate verbs (GKC 180 §67.q). In light of this it is preferable to retain the reading of the MT here.
  3. Proverbs 29:6 sn These two verbs express the confidence of the righteous—they have no fears and so can sing. So the proverb is saying that only the righteous can enjoy a sense of security.