A joyful heart makes a cheerful countenance, but sorrow of the heart crushes the spirit.
Parallel translations
- WEB A glad heart makes a cheerful face; but an aching heart breaks the spirit.
- KJV A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
- NKJV A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.
- NASB A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, But when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.
- NLT A glad heart makes a happy face; a broken heart crushes the spirit.
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
A glad heart brightens the face, but heartache crushes the spirit. Our inner state shows outwardly and affects our whole being.
Overview
This proverb observes the connection between the heart and the outward person: joy lights up the countenance, while sorrow breaks the spirit. It acknowledges the reality of inner pain even as it commends the blessing of a glad heart. Lasting gladness is found in God, who restores the joy of those who trust in Him (Psalm 51:12).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Prov 17:22A 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.
- Prov 12:25Anxiety weighs down the heart of a man, but a good word cheers it up.
- Prov 18:14The spirit of a man can endure his sickness, but who can survive a broken spirit?
- Prov 15:15All the days of the oppressed are bad, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast.
- 2 Cor 7:10Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.
- 2 Cor 2:7So instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.
- Neh 2:2so 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 Cor 1:12And 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.
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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 15:13 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.