Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness.
Parallel translations
- WEB Even in laughter the heart may be sorrowful, and mirth may end in heaviness.
- BSB Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in sorrow.
- NKJV Even in laughter the heart may sorrow, And the end of mirth may be grief.
- NASB Even in laughter the heart may be in pain, And the end of joy may be grief.
- NLT Laughter can conceal a heavy heart, but when the laughter ends, the grief remains.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Even laughter can mask sorrow, and joy can end in grief. Outward cheer does not always reflect inner reality.
Overview
This realistic proverb observes that mirth can coexist with a heavy heart and that fleeting pleasures may give way to sadness. It cautions against measuring well-being by surface appearances and against trusting worldly merriment for lasting joy. True and enduring joy is found not in passing amusement but in God Himself, in whose presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Eccl 2:2I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?
- Jas 4:9Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
- Eccl 11:9Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.
- Eccl 2:10–11And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.
- Luke 16:25But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.
- Prov 5:4But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword.
- Eccl 7:5–6It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.
- Rev 18:7–8How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 14:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.