Proverbs 23:22

22 Listen with respect to the father who raised you, and when your mother grows old, don't neglect her.

Proverbs 23:22 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 23:22

Hearken unto thy father that begat thee
And who has a true and hearty affection for thee, and whatever he says is for thy good and welfare, which he studies and has at heart; and who therefore also has an authority over thee, and what he enjoins ought to be strictly regarded; and, having lived longer in the world, must be thought to have a larger experience and knowledge of things, and therefore should be hearkened unto; and despise not thy mother when she is old;
despise not her counsels, instructions, and advice, though she is old; and because she is so, do not reject them as old wives' fables, or as the silly talk of an old woman, as young men are too apt to do.

Proverbs 23:22 In-Context

20 Don't drink too much wine and get drunk; don't eat too much food and get fat.
21 Drunks and gluttons will end up on skid row, in a stupor and dressed in rags. Buy Wisdom, Education, Insigh
22 Listen with respect to the father who raised you, and when your mother grows old, don't neglect her.
23 Buy truth - don't sell it for love or money; buy wisdom, buy education, buy insight.
24 Parents rejoice when their children turn out well; wise children become proud parents.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.