Proverbs 15:20

20 Wise children make their fathers happy. Only fools despise their mothers.

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 Hot tempers cause arguments, but patience brings peace.
19 If you are lazy, you will meet difficulty everywhere, but if you are honest, you will have no trouble.
20 Wise children make their fathers happy. Only fools despise their mothers.
21 Stupid people are happy with their foolishness, but the wise will do what is right.
22 Get all the advice you can, and you will succeed; without it you will fail.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.