Proverbs 15:20
in Proverbs 15A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
A wise son maketh a glad father; But a foolish man despiseth his mother.
KJV
A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother.
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This verse in Proverbs 15
Commentary
3 notes on this verseA wise son maketh a glad father,.... See Gill on Pro 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 Pro 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 Pro 30:
This site's exposition
A wise son brings joy to his father
on Proverbs 15:20-21
A wise son makes a glad father, while a foolish man despises his mother, the family portrait the book returns to from its opening chapters. Folly is joy to the man destitute of wisdom, while a man of understanding walks uprightly by a standard folly cannot see.
The record, by era
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
To “despise” a mother is to cause her the deepest grief, and is therefore not unfitly contrasted with “making a glad father.”
The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בֵּ֣ן | ben | a son | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| חָ֭כָם | chakhom | wise | H2450 → | 138 times |
| יְשַׂמַּח־ | yesamach- | he makes glad | H8055 → | 155 times |
| אָ֑ב | ʾav | a father | H1 → | 1212 times |
| וּכְסִ֥יל | ukhesil | and a fool | H3684 → | 70 times |
| אָ֝דָ֗ם | ʾadam | a person | H120 → | 551 times |
| בּוֹזֶ֥ה | bozeh | [is] despising | H959 → | 44 times |
| אִמּֽוֹ׃ | ʾimo | mother his | H517 → | 220 times |
בֵּ֣ןa son
benH1121 →4930 times
חָ֭כָםwise
chakhomH2450 →138 times
יְשַׂמַּח־he makes glad
yesamach-H8055 →155 times
אָ֑בa father
ʾavH1 →1212 times
וּכְסִ֥ילand a fool
ukhesilH3684 →70 times
אָ֝דָ֗םa person
ʾadamH120 →551 times
בּוֹזֶ֥ה[is] despising
bozehH959 →44 times
אִמּֽוֹ׃mother his
ʾimoH517 →220 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Proverbs 10:1The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grief to his mother.
it leads to
- Proverbs 1:1
These are the proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel,
- Proverbs 29:15
A rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.
- Proverbs 17:25
A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.
- Proverbs 23:15–16
My son, if your heart is wise, my own heart will indeed rejoice.
- Proverbs 29:3
A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.
- Proverbs 1:1
Through
Leviticus 19:3Each of you must respect his mother and father, and you must keep My Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God.
it leads to
- Exodus 20:12
Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
- Exodus 20:8
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
- Ephesians 6:1–3
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
- Exodus 20:12
Where this verse is studied
About Proverbs
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Charles Bridges, An Exposition of the Book of Proverbs; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament.