Proverbs 15:20

20 A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish one despises his mother.^[a]

Proverbs 15:20 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 15:20

A wise son maketh a glad father
(See Gill on Proverbs 10:1); but a foolish man despiseth his mother;
that bore him and brought him up, and perhaps was too indulgent to him; which aggravates his sin and her sorrow; (See Gill on Proverbs 10:1); or causes her to be despised by others, as Jarchi interprets it; such a man's sin, which is great folly, and shows him to be a foolish man, is highly resented by the Lord, and will be severely punished; see ( Proverbs 30:17 ) . The Targum is,

``a foolish son despises his mother;''

and so the Septuagint, Syriac, and Arabic versions, which makes the antithesis more clear; and the Hebrew text designs one grown up to man's estate.

Proverbs 15:20 In-Context

18 A hot-tempered man stirs up conflict, but a man slow to anger calms strife.

19 A slacker's way is like a thorny hedge, but the path of the upright is a highway.

20 A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish one despises his mother.

21 Foolishness brings joy to one without sense, but a man with understanding walks a straight path.

22 Plans fail when there is no counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.

Footnotes

• [a] Pr 10:1; 23:24-25; 29:3,15