Proverbs 17:25

25 ¹A foolish son is a grief to his father ²and bitterness to ³her who bore him.

Proverbs 17:25 Meaning and Commentary

Proverbs 17:25

A foolish son [is] a grief to his father
Because of his folly and wickedness, and the ruin he is bringing himself to; and bitterness to her that bare him;
a cause of bitterness of soul to his mother, more distressing than the bitter pains with which she brought him forth into the world. Jarchi, by the father, understands the blessed God; and by her that bare him, the congregation of Israel; to whom Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, was bitterness, who caused Israel to sin; see ( Proverbs 10:1 ) .

Proverbs 17:25 In-Context

23 The wicked accepts a bribe in secret to pervert the ways of justice.

24 The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

25 A foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.

26 To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good, nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.

27 Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.

Cross References

• 1. [See ver. 21 above]
• 2. Proverbs 10:1
• 3. Proverbs 23:25