15:13 A joyful heart 1 makes the face cheerful, 2
but by a painful heart the spirit is broken.
23:15 My child, 3 if your heart is wise,
then my heart also will be glad;
1 tn The contrast in this proverb is between the “joyful heart” (Heb “a heart of joy,” using an attributive genitive) and the “painful heart” (Heb “pain of the heart,” using a genitive of specification).
2 sn The verb יֵיטִב (yetiv) normally means “to make good,” but here “to make the face good,” that is, there is a healthy, favorable, uplifted expression. The antithesis is the pained heart that crushes the spirit. C. H. Toy observes that a broken spirit is expressed by a sad face, while a cheerful face shows a courageous spirit (Proverbs [ICC], 308).
3 tn Heb “my son,” although the context does not limit this exhortation to male children.