Mishle 15:20

20 A ben chacham maketh glad an av, but a kesil adam despiseth immo.

Mishle 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.

Mishle 15:20 In-Context

18 An ish chemah (angry man) stirreth up madon (strife), but he that is slow to anger pacifies a quarrel.

19 The derech (road) of the atzel (sluggard, lazy one) is a thorny hedge, but the orach yesharim (way of the upright) is a highway.

20 A ben chacham maketh glad an av, but a kesil adam despiseth immo.

21 Folly is simchah to him that is destitute of lev [of discernment], but an ish tevunah walketh uprightly.

22 Without counsel, plans go amiss, but in the multitude of yo’atzim (counsellors) they are established.