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Proverbs 5:4
But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.

Ecclesiastes 2:2,10,11
I said of laughter,It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it? …

Ecclesiastes 7:5,6
It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools…

and joy may end in sorrow
This part of the verse serves as a reminder of the transient nature of earthly joy. In the historical and cultural context of ancient Israel, life was often unpredictable, with joy and sorrow closely intertwined due to the hardships of agrarian life and the ever-present threats from surrounding nations. This wisdom is consistent with the teachings of Jesus, who warned of the fleeting nature of worldly pleasures and the importance of seeking eternal joy in the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:19-21). The phrase also connects to the broader biblical narrative of the fall and redemption, where temporary joys are overshadowed by the ultimate sorrow of sin, yet redeemed through the promise of eternal joy in Christ. This duality is a call to seek deeper, spiritual joy that transcends earthly circumstances, as found in the hope of salvation and the joy of the Lord (Nehemiah 8:10).

“Even in laughter…” (Proverbs 14:13a)

• Laughter is a God-given gift (Genesis 21:6;Psalm 126:2), yet Scripture warns that outward mirth can mask deeper realities.

• The verse reminds us not to measure life only by visible cheer (Luke 6:25) but to look beneath the surface, as the wise do (Proverbs 14:15).

• God values honest hearts above polished appearances (1 Samuel 16:7).

“…the heart may ache…” (Proverbs 14:13a)

• A smiling face can cover private pain (Proverbs 14:10;Psalm 69:20).

• Hannah’s silent tears behind her worship (1 Samuel 1:13-16) illustrate how sorrow can sit side-by-side with public participation.

• The Lord sees the ache and offers comfort (Psalm 34:18;2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

“…and joy…” (Proverbs 14:13b)

• Joy is valuable (Nehemiah 8:10;John 15:11), but the proverb hints that not all joy is rooted in lasting truth.

• Worldly celebrations often ignore eternity (Luke 12:19-20), whereas true joy flows from knowing the Lord (Romans 15:13).

“…may end in sorrow.” (Proverbs 14:13b)

• Pleasure detached from righteousness proves temporary (Ecclesiastes 7:3-4;Hebrews 11:25).

• The laughter of the wicked “will be turned to mourning” if repentance is refused (James 4:9-10).

• Christ offers a reversal: “Your grief will become joy” (John 16:20-22), culminating in a tear-free eternity (Revelation 21:4).

Proverbs 14:13 traces a sobering arc: outward laughter, hidden heartache, fleeting joy, and eventual sorrow. It urges discernment—recognize that appearances deceive, that only the Lord can reach an aching heart, and that lasting joy is found in Him. Walk honestly before God, comfort the hurting, and anchor your gladness in the Savior whose joy never ends.

"Medio de fonte leporum
Surgit amari aliquid, quod in ipsis fioribus angat. The text is scarcely to be taken as universally true, but either as specially applicable to those mentioned in the preceding verse, or as teaching that the outward mirth often cloaks hidden sorrow (comp. Virgil, 'AEneid,' 1:208, etc.).And the end of that joy is bitterness; it has in it no element of endurance, and when it is past, the real grief that it masked comes into prominence. In this mortal life also joy and sorrow are strangely intermingled; sorrow fellows closely on the steps of joy; as some one somewhere says, "The sweetest waters at length find their way to the sea, and are embittered there." Lesetre refers to Pascal, 'Pensees,' 2:1: "Tous se plaignent...de tout pays, de tout temps, de tous ages, et de toutes conditions. Une preuve si longue, si continuelle et si uniforme, devrait bien nous convaincre de l'impuissance ou nous sommes d'arriver au bien par nos efforts: mais l'exemple ne nous intruit point... Le present ne nous satisfaisant jamais, l'esperance nous pipe, et, de malheur en malheur, nous meue jusqu'a la mort, qui en est le comble eternel. C'est une chose etrange, qu'il n'y a rien dans la nature qui n'ait ete capable de tenir la place de la fin et du bonheur de l'homme .... L'homme etant dechu de son etat naturel, il n'y arien a quoi il n'ait ete capable de so porter. Depuis qu'il a perdu le vrai bien, tout egalement peut lui paraitre tel, jusqu'a ea destruction propre, toute contraire qu'elle est a la raison et a la nature tout ensemble." This illustrates also ver. 12. Proverbs like "There is no rose without a thorn" are common enough in all languages. The Latins said, "Ubi uber, ibi tuber;" and "Ubi mel, ibi fel." Greek experience produced the gnome -

Αρ ἐστὶ συγγενές τι λύπη καὶ βίος.

"Sorrow and life are very near of kin." Who Christian learns another lesson, "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted" (Matthew 5:4). The LXX. has introduced a negative, which gives a sense exactly contrary to the Hebrew and to all the other versions: "In joys there is no admixture of sorrow, but the final joy cometh unto grief." The negative has doubtless crept inadvertently into the text; if it were genuine, the sentence might be explained of the sinner's joy, which he finds for a time and exults in, but which does not last, and is felt to be a delusion as life closes.

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