“My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:”
My Notes
What Does Proverbs 6:20 Mean?
The instruction from Proverbs 1:8 is repeated here — keep your father's commandment, don't forsake your mother's law. The repetition itself is the lesson. Wisdom repeats itself because humans forget. The instruction that was given in chapter 1 is given again in chapter 6 because the son needs to hear it again.
The context adds urgency: verses 20-35 warn specifically against adultery. The father's commandment and the mother's law are being positioned as protection against sexual temptation. The wisdom of the home is a guardrail against the seductions of the street.
Verses 21-22 expand the metaphor: bind them upon your heart, tie them around your neck. When you walk, they lead you. When you sleep, they guard you. When you wake, they talk to you. Parental wisdom isn't a childhood lesson. It's a lifelong companion.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What instruction have you heard repeatedly that you still need to hear again?
- 2.Why does wisdom require repetition — what does that say about human nature?
- 3.How do you keep parental wisdom active in your adult life rather than filing it away as childhood lessons?
- 4.Is there a specific temptation in your life right now that the repeated wisdom of Proverbs 6 addresses?
Devotional
The same instruction, repeated. Chapter 1 said it. Chapter 6 says it again. Because you forgot. Because you always forget.
Wisdom isn't given once. It's given over and over, in different contexts, for different dangers. In chapter 1, it's the foundation. In chapter 6, it's the guardrail — specifically against the kind of temptation that destroys marriages and wrecks lives.
The father says: the wisdom your parents gave you isn't a childhood phase you outgrow. It's the thing you need right now, as an adult, facing adult temptations. The commandment that felt restrictive when you were young is the protection that saves your life when you're older.
Bind them on your heart. Tie them around your neck. Let them lead you, guard you, talk to you. Parental wisdom isn't memorized and shelved. It's worn. It's carried. It's lived with so intimately that it speaks to you in the critical moments.
The repetition is the point. You need to hear this again because the world is loud and the temptation is real and the voice of wisdom gets drowned out by the voice of desire. So here it is. Again. Keep your father's commandment. Don't forsake your mother's law.
Again. And again. Until you don't need to be told anymore.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Bind them continually upon thine heart,.... Not upon the head or arm, as the words of the law were to be bound, Deu 6:3;…
Here is, I. A general exhortation faithfully to adhere to the word of God and to take it for our guide in all our…
Fourteenth Address. Chap. 6. Pro 6:20-35. The Evil Woman
The holy memories and sanctions of the family are invoked (Pro…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture