Proverbs 14:10
ESV
The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy.
NIV
Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can share its joy.
NASB
The heart knows its own bitterness, And a stranger does not share its joy.
CSB
The heart knows its own bitterness, and no outsider shares in its joy.
NLT
Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can fully share its joy.
KJV
The heart knoweth his own bitterness; and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy.
NKJV
The heart knows its own bitterness, And a stranger does not share its joy.
What does Proverbs 14:10 mean?
No other human being can fully know the pain a person is experiencing (1 Samuel 16:7). Only the Lord knows, and He cares (Hebrews 4:14–16; 1 Peter 5:7). First Corinthians 2:11 asks, "For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him?" Although we may offer words of comfort and encouragement, it may be best simply to draw alongside a grieving person and be silent (Romans 12:15). We might not understand another person's pain; we might not even agree that their unhappiness is justified. All the same, other people's suffering is real whether it's rational or not, and whether we fully understand it or not.It is also true that no one can experience another person's joy. Every person goes through private emotions in his inner being. However, we can, "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:15). The church is a fellowship of believers that share a mutual love for God and one another. When one member of the church suffers, all the members suffer; when one member receives honor, all the members rejoice together (1 Corinthians 12:26).
