“A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother.”
My Notes
What Does Proverbs 15:20 Mean?
"A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother." The proverb pairs the wise son's effect on his father with the foolish man's treatment of his mother: wisdom produces parental joy; foolishness produces parental contempt. The wise son MAKES gladness — he creates it through his choices. The foolish man DESPISES — he actively scorns the parent who raised him.
The phrase "maketh a glad father" (yessamach av — causes a father to rejoice) identifies the son's wisdom as the CAUSE of the father's joy: the father doesn't just happen to be happy. The son's wise choices PRODUCE the happiness. The son has the power to generate joy in his father through the quality of his life. The causation runs from child to parent.
The "despiseth his mother" (bozeh immo — holds his mother in contempt) specifically targets the mother: the foolish person doesn't just ignore maternal wisdom. He DESPISES the mother herself. The contempt isn't for the instruction. It's for the person. The mother who bore him and raised him becomes the object of his scorn.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What are your choices producing in your parents — gladness or despair?
- 2.How does the wise son MAKING gladness teach about the power children have over their parents' joy?
- 3.Why does the proverb specifically name the mother as the target of the fool's contempt?
- 4.What would it look like to deliberately produce gladness in your parent through wise living?
Devotional
A wise son makes his father glad. A foolish man despises his mother. The wise child creates joy. The foolish child creates contempt. Two parents. Two responses. One defined by the gladness the child produces. The other defined by the contempt the child inflicts.
The 'maketh a glad father' means your wisdom has the power to produce JOY in your parent: the father who watches his child make wise choices — choose well, live faithfully, build wisely — experiences gladness that the child's wisdom CREATED. The son doesn't just bring joy by existing. He brings joy by BEING WISE. The quality of your character is a gift to your parents.
The 'despiseth his mother' shifts to the foolish person's specific cruelty: the mother. Not the father. The mother — the one who carried, delivered, nursed, and raised. The foolish man doesn't just fail to honor her. He DESPISES her. He holds in contempt the woman who gave him life. The contempt is aimed at the most vulnerable, most invested, most personally sacrificial parent.
The pairing is deliberate: the wise son affects the father (maketh glad). The foolish man affects the mother (despiseth). Both parents are impacted by their child's character. Both parents feel the weight of their child's choices. The wise son's choices are a gift. The foolish man's contempt is a wound. Your character doesn't just shape your own life. It shapes your parents' emotional world.
What are your choices producing in your parents — gladness or despair?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
A wise son maketh a glad father,.... See Gill on Pro 10:1;
but a foolish man despiseth his mother; that bore him and…
To “despise” a mother is to cause her the deepest grief, and is therefore not unfitly contrasted with “making a glad…
Observe here, 1. To the praise of good children, that they are the joy of their parents, who ought to have joy of them,…
despiseth and so maketh her sad, in latent contrast with the first clause of the verse.
Cross References
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