Proverbs 15:20

“A wise son maketh a glad father, etc.] (See Gill on “<201001>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 “<201001>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 <203017>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…”

“(Compare Pro 10:1).”

“To “despise” a mother is to cause her the deepest grief, and is therefore not unfitly contrasted with “making a glad father.” return to 'Top of Page'”

“wise: Pro 10:1, Pro 23:15, Pro 23:16, Pro 29:3; Kg1 1:48, Kg1 2:9, Kg1 5:7; Phi 2:22 despiseth: Pro 23:22, Pro 30:17; Exo 20:12; Lev 19:3 Proverbs 15:21”

“This collection of Solomonic proverbs began, Pro 10:1, with a proverb having reference to the observance of the fourth commandment, (Note: The fifth commandment of the Westminster Shorter Catechism is named as the fourth in Luther's catechism.) and a second chief section, Pro 13:1, began in the same way. Here a proverb of the same kind designates the beginning of a third chief section. That the editor was aware of this is shown by the homogeneity of the proverbs, Pro 15:19; Pro 12:28, which form the conclusion of the first and second sections. We place together first in this new section, Pro 15:20-23, in which (with the exception of Pro 15:25) the ישׂמח \[maketh glad\] of the first ( Pro…”