My son, hear the instruction of thy father
This is not to be understood of God the Father of mankind, and of
that law which he has given them, as Jarchi and Gersom interpret
it, but of Solomon and his son in a literal sense; and of anyone
that came to him for instruction, any pupil, hearer, or reader of
his; and it is a direction to all children to hearken to the
instruction of their parents, and obey their commands; so, next
to the fear and worship of God, he exhorts to obedience to
parents, and proceeds just in the same order and method in which
the decalogue or ten commands were written; the first table
respects God and his worship, and the second follows, which
begins with "honour thy father and thy mother" ( Exodus 20:12
) , which, the apostle says, is "the first commandment with
promise", ( Ephesians
6:1 Ephesians
6:2 ) ;
and forsake not the law of thy mother;
meaning not the congregation of Israel, the old synagogue, or
Jewish church, as Jarchi; and so in the Talmud F16 it is
interpreted of the congregation of Israel, as is "thy father" in
the former clause of the divine Being; nor the operative faculty
of the human understanding, as Gersom; but the mother of
Solomon's son; and any and every mother of a child, who having an
equal or greater tenderness for her offspring, and a true and
hearty regard for their welfare, will instruct them in the best
manner she can, give the best rules, and prescribe the best laws
she can for their good; and which ought to be as carefully
attended to and obeyed as those of a father; and she is
particularly mentioned, because the law of God equally enjoins
reverence and obedience to both parents, which human laws among
the Gentiles did not; and because children are too apt to slight
the directions and instructions of a mother; whereas they carry
equal authority, and have in them the nature of a law, as those
of a father.