What Does Proverbs 15:20 Mean in the King James?
A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The Hebrew word for “son” is traditionally linked to “build,” so a person’s wisdom or folly becomes part of what builds or burdens a family.
THE MEANING
A wise son’s way brings joy to his father, while folly shows itself in contempt for his mother. A person’s character reaches into the family bond and is felt by others now.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The lie is that a person’s choices stay private and affect no one else.
THE ROOT
בֵּן
ben
GROWS FROM
בנה
banah
to build
The word for son, בֵּן (ben), is traditionally connected to בנה (banah), “to build.” That link lets the verse’s family language carry a deeper connection: a person’s character enters the life being built among those closest to them.
ALSO GROWS
banah: to build
בָּנָה
This is the verb traditionally linked to בֵּן (ben), son; it brings the idea of building into the family relationship named in the verse.
ben: son, child
בֵּן
The word identifies the son whose wisdom reaches beyond himself into his father’s joy.
THE PATTERN
A child’s way of living reaches beyond the self, becoming joy or sorrow within the family bond.
The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.THE THREAD
The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.This verse repeats the wise-son and glad-father pairing, then names the other side as a foolish man’s contempt for his mother; Proverbs 10:1 calls that heaviness. The shared word בֵּן (ben, “son”) carries the traditional link to בנה (banah, “build”), joining a person’s character to the life built within the family.
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