14:10

The parallel parts in bold print contrast in meaning. The underlined parallel parts give two different perspectives.

10a
The heart knows its own bitterness,

10b and no stranger shares in its joy.

14:10a–b

The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares in its joy: Here The heart represents each individual. A person’s feelings cannot be experienced or understood by another individual to the same extent that he experiences these feelings himself.

bitterness: This word can also mean “sadness” or “grief.”

General Comment on 14:10a–b

The parallelism implies that each person knows both his own joy and his own bitterness. It also implies that no one else can fully share his bitterness or his joy. In some languages, it may be more natural to combine and/or reorder the parallel parts. Two ways to do this are:

No one else can really know how sad or happy you are. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Your joy is your own; your bitterness is your own. No one can share them with you.

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