Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Proverbs 1:8
My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
8. instruction ] or discipline, as in Pro 1:2-3 ; Pro 1:7.
law ] or teaching R.V. marg. , LXX.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
First Address. Chap. Pro 1:8-19
Pro 1:8-9 . In these two verses the writer passes to direct appeal. The form of appeal, My son, which is continually repeated throughout these opening chapters, strikes the key-note of the strain in which all the succeeding exhortations and counsels are cast. It indicates not only the fatherly relation which the Teacher assumes towards the young and inexperienced whom he has undertaken to instruct, but also the true source and authority of the teaching he will give them. The Law, though not clothed, as we have seen ( Introd. pp. 12, 13) in this Book in its Jewish garb, is recognised in its eternal principles. “The instruction of the father,” and “the law of the mother” are to be accepted with childlike submission and unquestioning obedience, and will lend grace and dignity to the life and character, because and in so far as they are the instruction and the law of God Himself, the Universal Father, and because parents are His vicegerents in the education of their children (comp. Pro 6:20-21). And every true teacher is, in measure and degree, His and their deputy and representative. (See Deu 4:9; Deu 6:7; Deu 11:19; and compare the place of the 5th commandment in the Decalogue, as the link or hinge between the 1st and 2nd tables of the Law, and the extended obligation of that commandment to “governors, teachers, spiritual pastors and masters.”)
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Pro 1:8
Hear the instruction of thy father.
The family
The first and great commandment is the fear of God, and the second, which is next to it and like to it, is obedience to parents. Wherever the root is planted this is the first fruit which it bears. God honours His own ordinance, the family. He gives parents rank next after Himself. Filial love stands near, and leans on godliness. God is the author of the family constitution. Its laws are the marriage of one man with one woman, the support of children by parents, and the support of decayed parents by the children grown. The polygamy of Eastern peoples has made the richest portions of the earth like a howling wilderness. In the constitution of nature there is a self-acting apparatus for punishing the transgression of the family laws. The Divine institute is hedged all round. The prickles tear the flesh of those who are so foolish as to kick against them. In practice, and for safety, it is well to keep families together as long as it is possible. To violate the providential laws is both a crime and a blunder. Love to parents ranks next under reverence to God. When France threw off the first commandment the second went after it. (William Arnot, D.D.)
Forsake not the law of thy mother.
For mothers sake
What a mysterious thing–what a mysterious, magical, Divine thing is a mothers love! How it nestles about the heart, and goes with the man, and speaks to him pure words, and is like a guardian angel! This young man (of whom he was then preaching) could never take any money that came to him from his mother and spend that upon a Sunday excursion or a treat to a theatre. It was a sacred thing with him; it had the impression and the inscription of his mothers image, and his mothers purity, and his mothers piety, and his mothers love. It was a sacred thing to him, and these things that he felt to be questionable, or felt to be sinful, were always to be provided for by other resources and by money that came to him from other hands. Oh! there is the poetry of the heart, the poetry of our home and domestic affections, the poetry of the religion of the heart and the altar, about that little incident, and it strikes me as being perfectly beautiful. (Thomas Binney.)
A mothers influence
The late Dr. Harvey Goodwin, Bishop of Carlisle, gave the following account of his mother: I am one of those who lost their mother at a very early age. I was very little over six years old when my dear mother was suddenly taken from me. I mention my age that I may put before you the effect which my mothers teaching had upon me, and the tender age at which it ceased, and I think we may draw from it some useful lessons. Now, then, when I look back to the teaching of my mother, what do I think of it? I say deliberately, and without any amount of exaggeration, that though I have since that time been at school, been under tutors, been at college, and had all the experience of life, I do not believe that all the lessons that I have received since that time put together amount in value and in importance to the lessons which I learned from my mother before I was seven years old. I will tell you one of the first lessons she taught me. She taught me always to speak the truth; and the lesson she gave me concerning truth has never been lost upon me. She always brought me up in the feeling that what was to be spoken was to be the whole truth and nothing but the truth; that there was to be no evasion, that everything was to be stated simply and honestly, exactly as it occurred; and I will tell you how she enforced that lesson–she always spoke truth to me. I never caught her in any kind of deceit; I always knew that what she said to me she meant. I was always sure that if she told me she was going to do a thing she would do it, and no amount of coaxing or persuasion would lead her to change her mind. Absolute truth, absolute in the smallest matters, that was her practice, and that was the lesson that she impressed upon me.
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 8. My son, hear] Father was the title of preceptor, and son, that of disciple or scholar, among the Jews. But here the reference appears to be to the children of a family; the father and the mother have the principal charge, in the first instance, of their children’s instruction. It is supposed that these parents have, themselves, the fear of the Lord, and that they are capable of giving the best counsel to their children, and that they set before them a strict example of all godly living. In vain do parents give good advice if their own conduct be not consistent. The father occasionally gives instruction; but he is not always in the family, many of those occupations which are necessary for the family support being carried on abroad. The mother – she is constantly within doors, and to her the regulation of the family belongs; therefore she has and gives laws. The wise man says in effect to every child, “Be obedient to thy mother within, and carefully attend to the instructions of thy father, that thou mayest the better see the reasons of obedience; and learn from him how thou art to get thy bread honestly in the world.”
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
My son; he speaks to his scholars with paternal authority and affection, to make them more attentive and obedient. Teachers among the Hebrews and others were commonly called
fathers, and their scholars their sons. The instruction of thy father; his good and wholesome counsels, but not such as are contrary to Gods law, Pro 19:27. The law of thy mother; those pious instructions which thy mother instilled into thee in thy tender years. See Pro 31:1; 2Ti 1:5; 3:14,15. This he adds, because children, when grown up, are very prone to slight their mothers advice, because of the infirmity of their sex, and because they have not that dependence upon and expectation from their mothers which they have from their fathers.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
8. My sonThis paternal formdenotes a tender regard for the reader. Filial sentiments rank nextto piety towards God, and ensure most distinguished rewards (comparePro 6:20; Eph 6:2;Eph 6:3).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
My son, hear the instruction of thy father,…. This is not to be understood of God the Father of mankind, and of that law which he has given them, as Jarchi and Gersom interpret it, but of Solomon and his son in a literal sense; and of anyone that came to him for instruction, any pupil, hearer, or reader of his; and it is a direction to all children to hearken to the instruction of their parents, and obey their commands; so, next to the fear and worship of God, he exhorts to obedience to parents, and proceeds just in the same order and method in which the decalogue or ten commands were written; the first table respects God and his worship, and the second follows, which begins with “honour thy father and thy mother”, c. Ex 20:12, which, the apostle says, is “the first commandment with promise”, Eph 6:1
and forsake not the law of thy mother; meaning not the congregation of Israel, the old synagogue, or Jewish church, as Jarchi; and so in the Talmud p it is interpreted of the congregation of Israel, as is “thy father” in the former clause of the divine Being; nor the operative faculty of the human understanding, as Gersom; but the mother of Solomon’s son; and any and every mother of a child, who having an equal or greater tenderness for her offspring, and a true and hearty regard for their welfare, will instruct them in the best manner she can, give the best rules, and prescribe the best laws she can for their good; and which ought to be as carefully attended to and obeyed as those of a father; and she is particularly mentioned, because the law of God equally enjoins reverence and obedience to both parents, which human laws among the Gentiles did not; and because children are too apt to slight the directions and instructions of a mother; whereas they carry equal authority, and have in them the nature of a law, as those of a father.
p T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 102. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
After the author has indicated the object which his Book of Proverbs is designed to subserve, and the fundamental principle on which it is based, he shows for whom he has intended it; he has particularly the rising generation in his eye:
8 Hear, my son, thy father’s instruction,
And refuse not the teaching of thy mother;
9 For these are a fair crown to thy head,
And Jewels to thy neck.
“My son,” says the teacher of wisdom to the scholar whom he has, or imagines that he has, before him, addressing him as a fatherly friend. The N.T. representation of birth into a new spiritual life, 1Co 4:15; Phm 1:10; Gal 4:19, lies outside the circle of the O.T. representation; the teacher feels himself as a father by virtue of his benevolent, guardian, tender love. Father and mother are the beloved parents of those who are addressed. When the Talmud understands of God, of the people ( ), that is not the grammatico-historic meaning, but the practical interpretation and exposition, after the manner of the Midrash. The same admonition (with , keep, instead of , hear, and , command, instead of , instruction) is repeated in Pro 6:20, and what is said of the parents in one passage is in Pro 10:1 divided into two synonymous parallel passages. The stricter musar , which expresses the idea of sensible means of instruction (discipline), (Pro 13:24; Pro 22:15; Pro 23:13.), is suitably attributed to the father, and the torah to the mother, only administered by the word; Wisdom also always says (my torah ), and only once, Pro 8:10, (my musar ).
Pro 1:9 , which is also used in the neut. illa , e.g., Job 22:24, refers here to the paternal discipline and the maternal teaching. These, obediently received and followed, are the fairest ornament of the child. , from , to wind, to roll, Arab. lawy (from , whence also = , as , to boil up, = ), means winding, twisted ornament, and especially wreath; a crown of gracefulness is equivalent to a graceful crown, a corolla gratiosa , as Schultens translates it; cf. Pro 4:9, according to which, Wisdom bestows such a crown.
(Note: In the has the conjunctive accent shalsheleth, on account of which the Pesiq accent is omitted. This small shalsheleth occurs only eight times. See Torath Emeth, p. 36.)
(or , Jdg 8:26) are necklaces, jewels for the neck; denom. of the Arab. ‘unek , and Aram. , the neck (perhaps from = , to oppress, of heavy burdens; cf. , the neck). , is, like fauces , the throat by which one swallows (Arab. gargara , tagargara ), a plur. extensive (Bttcher, 695), and is better fitted than to indicate the external throat; Ezekiel, however, uses (Eze 16:11) garon , as our poet (Pro 3:3, Pro 3:22; Pro 6:21) uses garg’roth , to represent the front neck.
(Note: The writing varies greatly. Here and at Pro 6:21 we have ; at Pro 3:3, , Pro 3:22, . Thus according to the Masora and correct texts.)
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
I. A FATHER COMMENDS WISDOM
(Pro 1:8 to Pro 7:27)
Heed Parental Instruction
Proverbs 19, 9
Verses 8 and 9 begin an example of faithful parental instruction of children often repeated in the first seven chapters of Proverbs. Some twenty times the father, often seconded by the mother, urges the son or children to remember and obey these oft repeated instructions. Thus did the great king comply with Deu 6:6-7.
Verse 9 declares that faithful obedience to these instructions would be an ornament of grace and chains about the neck. This suggests that obedience to proper parental instruction is a spiritual ornament much more important than the material gold chains and other ornaments highly prized in that day, 22:6; 1Sa 15:22; Jer 7:23; Gen 41:42; Dan 5:7.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(8) My son.The address as of a master to his pupil. This phrase only occurs twice again in Proverbs, excepting in sections (2) and (4).
Law.Rather, teaching. (Comp. Pro. 3:1.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
FATHERLY COUNSELS TO AVOID THE WAYS OF EVIL MEN, Pro 1:8-19.
8. Having thus stated in a beautiful and comprehensive aphorism the relation of true piety or religious principle to worthy intellectual attainments, illustrated by its opposite, and thus commenced his discourse or lecture by the recognition of God and his claims upon us, Solomon now proceeds to address his pupil in the second person singular, as if he were standing before him.
My son He personates a father, and addresses every reader as a son in affection. The formula occurs frequently in the first nine chapters, and is supposed by some to indicate the beginning of a new section. But this is not certain. Among the Hebrews, teachers were rightly regarded as in the place or stead of a father, and hence were called , ( abhoth,) fathers, and their pupils , ( banim,) sons, or children. Parents are the natural instructors of their children. Where they cannot instruct them themselves, they employ teachers as substitutes. Hence the maxim that the teacher is in loco parentis, in the place of the parent.
Hear Attend to and observe.
The instruction Musar, discipline, restraint, training, of thy father.
And forsake not Cast not off nor reject.
Law of thy mother Law in the sense of precepts, teachings, directions. This strong term, , ( torah,) law, may be here used to strengthen maternal authority; and the term mother may be suggested as the natural expansion of the idea, by the law of poetic parallelism. It has been justly observed that heathen moralists and legislators have magnified the authority of the father, giving him sometimes absolute power, but have made little of the mother. The divine morality teaches us to honour both father and mother. Nor is it without reason that the royal instructor begins just here his practical ethics, for this is the beginning-point and foundation of private and public virtue. Reverence for parents is, in the Scriptures, put next to reverence for God. The first commandment of the second table is, “Honour thy father and thy mother,” etc. Exo 20:12.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Addressed To ‘My Son’. Those Who Seek To Walk In The Fear Of YHWH Will Listen To The Instruction Of Godly Authority ( Pro 1:8-9 ).
Here in chapter 1 the appeal is a fairly short one, but the writer may well have had in mind that he had already given a detailed analysis of wisdom and understanding in Pro 1:2-7. It does, however, lay down the important principle that the chief source of wisdom to the family is the father and the mother.
Pro 1:8-9
‘My son, hear the disciplinary instruction of your father,
And do not forsake the law of your mother,
For they will be a wreath (floral crown) of grace to your head,
And chains (necklaces) about your neck.’
‘My son.’ This was a regular way in which wisdom teachers addressed their students, and we have examples of this expression in wisdom literature from elsewhere, although often in that literature it was addressed to an individual who was being prepared to take over responsibilities. They saw their students as to some extent their children in wisdom and knowledge.
‘My son’ occurs as follows:
It occurs fifteen times in chapters 1-9, being understandably absent in chapters 8-9 where Wisdom takes over. She dose not speak of ‘my son’.
It occurs only once in chapters Pro 10:1 to Pro 22:16, where it would not suit the more formal style of the writing which mainly consists of pithy proverbs That occurrence is in Pro 19:27 where it has a special significance.
It occurs five times in ‘the words of the wise’ (Pro 22:17 to Pro 24:22) where the saying are more extended (as in 1-9).
It occurs once in Solomon’s words gathered by the men of Hezekiah (Pro 25:1 to Pro 29:27). That is in Pro 27:11, where it is the opening appeal to the second section of that passage.
Sometimes he uses the address ‘sons’ (e.g. Pro 4:1; Pro 5:7), thus making clear that ‘my son’ is composite. He is not referring to Rehoboam, or to his hundreds of other sons (he had three hundred wives and seven hundred concubines), for if Rehoboam had offered himself as a surety he was hardly likely to be financially embarrassed (Pro 6:1-5), and those words were clearly addressed to a theoretical case.
With regard to the use of ‘my son’ and ‘sons’ we can compare how Deborah and the wise woman were seen as ‘mothers in Israel’ (Jdg 5:7; 2Sa 20:19), those who guided people in God’s ways. But this did address did not prevent Solomon from recognising that the prime instructors and disciplinarians of the people were their own fathers and mothers (Pro 1:8; Pro 6:20). In Israel the spiritual education of the children was very much their father’s responsibility, and, under his authority, their mother’s. See Exo 12:26-27; Exo 13:8; Deu 6:20-25; Deu 11:19; Deu 32:7; etc. These were their guides to true and godly living in accordance with the Torah (Law/Instruction), and in accordance with revealed wisdom. The passing on of Wisdom teaching for Israel lay firmly in the hands of the parents, and included the Torah.
The importance given to the teaching of father and mother comes out again in Pro 6:20 where Solomon tells his ‘son’ to ‘keep the commandment of your father, and do not forsake the law (torah) of your mother’, and in Pro 10:1 where, ‘a wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother’. This last is important in stressing that the father and mother were acting in their son’s best interests, and thus found delight in his obedience (see also Pro 3:12). This was all one with the commandment to ‘honour your father and your mother’, indicating walking before them in respectful obedience, as required by the covenant (Exo 20:12; Deu 5:16). And this was because to their children they were to be the prime figures of authority.
But that this authority was not expected to be exercised in a heavy-handed way comes out in the vivid picture used, that their instruction and law would be like a floral crown gracing the head, and a floral chain around their necks, symbols of joy and celebration, as well as of honour (these would be the crowns and necklaces best known to the common people). The word for ‘crown’ or ‘wreath’ is found elsewhere only in Pro 4:9, where it parallels a crown of glory (or ‘splendour’). The word for necklace is used elsewhere of decorative necklaces (Jdg 8:26 – a camel’s necklace; Son 4:9 – a maiden’s necklace). They were to be signs of honour, and of a loving, responsive and joyous relationship. This was the ideal.
Others, however, see the crown and necklace as indicating victory and protection based on possible Egyptian parallels. Then the thought is that victory and security in life will be achieved by following the disciplinary instruction and teaching of their fathers and mothers (in other words, seen ideally, by following godly authority).
Note that it is the father who ‘instructs/disciplines’ (compare Pro 3:12) whilst the mother teaches ‘the law (Torah)’. He was the overall head responsible for instruction and discipline, she was a guide to God’s torah. Thus it was the father of the household who had prime responsibility for instruction and discipline, and was, if necessary, expected to exercise discipline in the way which was customary at the time, through the use of the rod (Pro 13:24; Pro 22:15; Pro 23:13). But it is noteworthy that one citation from Solomon himself (Pro 13:24) stresses that this is to be done in fatherly love. It was not to be vindictive. Today we do not beat our children with rods, but the use of rods for punishment was customary at that time over a much wider sphere, and was thus seen as the right way of going about things. Life was harder then, time was limited and child psychology was unknown. Discipline had to be swift, effective and seen to be exerted. Nevertheless the lesson is that it is still necessary for us to exercise some form of genuine discipline on our children if we really love them, even if we think we have better ways of going about it. The basic principle is ‘exercise proper discipline over your children’, but expressed in terms of that day, it is not that the rod is the only way of achieving it.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Discourse 1. Addressed To ‘My Son’. Those Who Seek To Walk In The Fear Of YHWH Will Listen To The Instruction Of Godly Authority, And Will Avoid The Enticements Of Sinners Motivated By Greed. Wisdom Is Then Depicted As Crying Out To Be Heard, Longing For Response, Promising Inculcation Of Her Own Spirit, And Warning Of The Consequences Of Refusal ( Pro 1:8-33 ).
Addressed to ‘my son’ (especially the young men of his kingdom) this discourse divides up into three parts and ends with a contrast between the fate of ‘the naive/fools’ and those ‘who hear’. The three parts may be seen as follows:
1) Exhortation to hear disciplinary instruction and torah (Pro 1:8-9).
2) Warning against heeding those who would entice into greed and violence (Pro 1:10-19).
3) The call by Ms Wisdom for men to receive divine wisdom and knowledge together with a warning of the consequences of failing to do so (Pro 1:20-33).
In what follows we have a description of the old age battle between lawful authority and those who would encourage us to unlawfulness. The stress is on the fact that we are to look to the one and reject the other, however attractive the latter might appear. In Israel that lawful authority lay in the hands of the father of the family, then of the father of the wider family, then of the father of the clan, then of the father of the tribe, depending on what was at issue. Thus the father of the family was the first in the line of authority. And as such he was to be listened to, and was expected to exercise discipline. The family was to ‘fear him’ (Lev 19:3), that is respond to him in respectful obedience. The New Testament requires the same attitude of Christians towards reasonable judges (Rom 13:1-7; 1Pe 2:13-14).
It will be noted that the book assumes a monogamous marriage. The assumption is that both father and mother will take a genuine interest in their children, and will be concerned to guide and lead them. Furthermore, responding to their guidance and instruction will not be an arduous duty. It will rather be like the wearing of floral crowns and floral chains at a feast. It will decorate their lives and make glad their hearts, proclaiming to others their joyful obedience to God (these would be what they naturally thought of when thinking in terms of ‘crowns’ and ‘necklaces’). Or less likely, based on Egyptian parallels, the thought may be of a crown of victory, and a necklace of protection, with guidance and instruction being depicted as the means of victory and security in life.
In contrast those who listen to the enticements of tempters will discover that it results in their ‘losing their lives’, either in loss of enjoyment and value, or, at the extreme, in losing life itself. We can compare in this regard how Jesus often spoke of true life, and warned that ‘he who would save his life (by not walking in the fear of YHWH with all its consequences), will lose it’ (Mar 8:35). What they cling on to will in the end turn to ashes. Jesus pointed out that it is He Who brings us life which is ‘life indeed’, in contrast with those who respond to evildoers and are diverted from following Him (Joh 10:10). In Solomon’s eyes that life was experienced through ‘fearing God’ and knowing Him and His ways. Such people are reborn of the Spirit (Pro 1:23; Psa 51:10; Psa 143:10).
Each dissertation that accompanies an appeal in chapters 1 to 3 is divided into three parts. Each commences with ‘my son’ and an appeal to listen and take heed accompanied by an argument as to why they should do so (Pro 1:8-9; Pro 2:1-11; Pro 3:1-10). This is followed by an exhortation or warning (Pro 1:10-19; Pro 2:12-15; Pro 3:11-20), and then by a further section (Pro 1:21-33; Pro 2:16-22; Pro 3:21-35), each of which ends with a contrast between the upright and the wicked or their equivalents (Pro 1:32-33; Pro 2:21-22; Pro 3:33-35). Furthermore, in each of chapters 1 and 2 we have three voices seen as speaking to men. In chapter 1 they are 1) the voices of the parents, 2) the voices of the sinners, 3) the voice of the woman Wisdom. In chapter 2 they are 1) the voice of Solomon, 2) the voice of evil men, 3) the voice of the seductive ‘strange woman’ There may be an intended contrast in chapter 1 and 2, following the parallel warnings against evil men (Pro 1:10-19; Pro 2:12-15) between the good woman Wisdom who advises men honestly and leads men into truth (Pro 1:21-33), and the ‘strange/foreign woman’ who entices men deceitfully and leads men into sin (Pro 2:16-22).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Prologue To The Book ( Pro 1:8 to Pro 9:18 ).
It was common throughout the 3rd to the 1st millenniums BC for collections of wisdom saying to have a prologue preparing for the ‘sayings’ that would follow. Those sayings would then be introduced by a subheading. Proverbs thus follows the usual precedent in having such a prologue in Pro 1:8 to Pro 9:18, followed by general sayings in Pro 10:1 ff headed by a subheading (Pro 10:1). It was also common for such a prologue to be addressed to ‘my son’, or similar, with constant references being made to ‘my son’ throughout the prologue. And this is interestingly a feature of Proverbs 1-9, where it occurs fifteen times. One difference, however, lies in the fact that the ‘son’ was usually named in other wisdom literature, something which does not occur in Proverbs. Indeed, in Proverbs ‘my son’ is sometimes replaced by ‘sons’ (Pro 4:1; Pro 5:7; Pro 7:24; Pro 8:32). It is addressed to whoever will hear and respond.
The Prologue consists of ten discourses, and divides into two. It commences with five discourses, each of which follows a similar pattern, an opening appeal followed by two further subsections, and closing with a contrast between the righteous and the unrighteous, the wise and the foolish. We can compare how there are five ‘books’ to the Torah, and five books of Psalms. Five is the covenant number. Each of the subsections is in the form of a chiasmus.
From chapter 6 onwards the pattern changes. Initially we find a description of three types, whom we could describe as the naive, the foolish, the wicked (Pro 6:1-19), and this is followed by Pro 6:20 to Pro 9:18 which are centred on the contrast between the seductive power of the strange woman, and the uplifting power of woman wisdom, all continually urging the young man to turn from the enticements of the world and choose wisdom.
The prologue may be analysed as follows;
The Five Discourses.
1). Discourse 1. Addressed To ‘My Son’. Those Who Seek To Walk In The Fear Of YHWH Will Listen To The Instruction Of Godly Authority, And Will Avoid The Enticements Of Sinners Motivated By Greed. Wisdom Is Then Depicted As Crying Out To Be Heard, Longing For Response, Promising Inculcation Of Her Own Spirit, And Warning Of The Consequences Of Refusal (Pro 1:8-33).
2). Discourse 2. Addressed To ‘My Son’. The Source Of True Wisdom Is YHWH, And Those Who Truly Seek Wisdom Will Find YHWH Himself, And He Will Then Reveal His Wisdom To Them. This Wisdom That God Gives Them Will Then Deliver Them From All Who Are Evil, Both From Men Who Have Abandoned The Right Way, And From The Enticements Of Immoral Women (Pro 2:1-22).
3). Discourse 3. Addressed To ‘My Son’. The Young Man Is To Trust In YHWH, To Fear YHWH And To Honour YHWH, And In View Of Their Great Value Is To Find YHWH’s Wisdom And Obtain Understanding Which Will Be His Protection And Will Through YHWH’s Chastening Activity Restore Him To Man’s First Estate. In View Of Them He Is To Observe A Series Of Practical Requirements Which Will Result In Blessing For The Wise (Pro 3:1-35).
4). Discourse 4. Addressed to ‘Sons’. Wisdom And Understanding Are To Be Sought And Cherished, For They Produce Spiritual Beauty, and Lead Those Who Respond Unto The Perfect Day (Pro 4:1-19).
5). Discourse 5. Addressed To ‘My Son’ (and later ‘Sons’). He Is To Avoid The Enticements Of The Strange Woman Whose Ways Lead To Death, And Rather Be Faithful To His True Wife (Pro 4:20 to Pro 5:23).
A Description Of Three Contrasting Failures.
6). Discourse 6. The Naive, The Fool And The Scorner Illustrated. The First Addressed To ‘My Son’ Is A Call To Avoid Acting As A Surety For Others, The Second Addressed To ‘You Sluggard’, Is A Call To Shake Off Laziness, And The Third, Unaddressed, Concerns A Worthless Person And A Troublemaker (Pro 6:1-19).
A Contrast Between The Strange Seductive Woman And The Pure Woman Wisdom.
Discourse 7. Addressed To ‘My Son’. He Is Urged To Observe The Commandment And The Torah Of Father And Mother, Avoiding The Enticement Of The Adulterous Woman, And Being Aware Of The Wrath Of The Deceived Husband (Pro 6:20-35).
Discourse 8. Addressed To ‘My Son’. After Appealing To Him To Observe His Words Solomon Vividly Describes The Wiles Of A Prostitute And Warns ‘Sons’ Against Her (Pro 7:1-27).
Discourse 9. The Call of Ms Wisdom As The One Who Seeks Response, Gives Men True Instruction, Ensures Good Government, Enriches Men Physically and Spiritually, Was Present With God During Creation, And Blesses Men And Brings Them Into Life So That They Find God’s Favour (Pro 8:1-36).
Discourse 10. The Appeal Of Woman Wisdom Contrasted With The Allure Of Woman Folly (Pro 9:1-18).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Pro 1:8. My son, hear, &c. It is very observable, how much human laws differ from divine. The former generally provides only that due regard be given by children to their fathers, but takes no notice of mothers; as may be seen in the Persian laws mentioned by Aristotle: the Roman, described in the Digests and Constitutions, and several passages of the Greek philosophers which we find in Epictetus and Simplicius, who consult only the honour of the father. But God, in his law, takes care to secure a just reverence to both parents, as we find in many parts of this book. See the first sixteen verses of the third chapter of Ecclesiasticus.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck. My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil: Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse: My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path: For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood. Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird. And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives. So are the ways of everyone that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
The sacred writer of this book having given the preface of his book, here enters upon the subject of it; and that he might enforce what he bad to say still more, he begins it with an exhortation. Under the character of an Instructor, as a father of his children, he endeavours to gain their affection by such a tender appellation, as that of a father ad dressing his son. And if the Reader observes, the opening of his discourse is altogether upon the plan and principles of the gospel. For it points to the corruption of the heart in the enticement of sinners, and the propensity of our nature to listen to the temptation. Among the first offices of the Holy Ghost, the convincing of sin stands pointed out by him, whose office character’ is that of wisdom. And I hope the Reader hath not now to learn that the very apprehension of Christ as a Saviour, pre-supposes that we have a thorough sense of our need of Christ in the consciousness of our being sinners. Joh 14:7-8 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Pro 1:8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
Ver. 8. Hear the instruction of thy father, &c. ] It is not fit to disobey God, thy father, nor thy teacher, saith Aristotle a Our parents, said Hierocles, are Y , our household gods: and their words should be received as oracles. This is a principal fruit of the fear of God, which it here fitly followeth: like as in the decalogue, the commandment for honouring of parents is set next of all to those of the first table, nay, is indeed, as Philo saith of it, , a mixed commandment.
a , , . – Arist. Rhet.
My son. See the Structure (p. 864) for the portions so addressed (Pro 1:6, Pro 1:9, Pro 1:18; Pro 19:20-34; Pro 27:1, Pro 27:29, Pro 27:27; Pro 30:1, Pro 30:31, Pro 30:31). Occurs fifteen times in this member. hear, &c. Illustrations: Isaac (Gen 48:15); Moses (Heb 11:23); Samuel (1Sa 1:28; 1Sa 2:18; 1Sa 3:19-21); Timothy (2Ti 1:5; 2Ti 3:15. Act 16:1, Act 16:2).
thy father. The address is educational, this being the duty of the father, corresponding with Pro 31:1-9, as contrasted with “the words of the wise”, also addressed to “my son” (Pro 19:20, Pro 19:24, Pro 19:34; Pro 27:1, Pro 27:29, Pro 27:27).
thy mother. Compare Pro 31:1-9.
Pro 1:8-9
Pro 1:8-9
COMMAND TO HEED PARENTAL INSTRUCTIONS
“My son, hear the instruction of thy father,
And forsake not the law of thy mother:
For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head,
And chains about thy neck.”
Eph 6:1-4 incorporates this proverb into the gospel of the Son of God; and any society that tolerates and encourages the disrespectful and disobedient behavior of children toward their parents will invariably reap bitter fruits of it. The sacred promise of God himself to obedient children is length of life and a condition of well-being. Despite the fact that “Time and chance happen unto all men,” many a man, including this writer, can bear witness of God’s truth in these magnificent promises.
“A chaplet … and chains about thy neck” (Pro 1:9). “To the Israelite’s mind, no signs or badges of joy or glory were higher in worth than the garland around the head, or the gold chain around the neck, worn by kings and their favorites (Gen 41:42; Dan 5:29). The meaning of this is that there is a loving grace that rests upon respectful and obedient children which is comparable to the highest honor that even kings may pay to their favorites.
Pro 1:8. Though Solomon had many wives and concubines (700 of the first and 300 of the second-1Ki 11:3), and we consequently assume numerous sons, it is a surprising fact that we know the name of only one of his sons (Rehoboam, who succeeded him on the throne in Jerusalem). It is likely that the material presented in Proverbs that says, My son (this verse: Pro 1:15, Pro 2:1; Pro 3:1; Pro 3:3; Pro 3:11; etc.), was originally Solomons material to his son Rehobaom. However, the expression, My sons (plural), occurs four times in the book (Pro 4:1; Pro 5:7; Pro 7:24; Pro 8:32), in which we have Solomons teaching to all of his sons. Solomon employed my son in two noticeable ways: to begin with a section to make the teaching more personal to the son (as in Pro 1:15; Pro 6:3; and others. When he uses the expression to begin a section of material, he usually tells what listening to his instruction will mean to his life (see Pro 1:8-9; Pro 3:1-2; Pro 4:10; and others) before actually proceeding to present the section of material. One final thought on our verse: Both parents have important parts in a childs rearing-the instruction of thy father, the law of thy mother. In far too many homes the instruction and rearing of the children becomes the responsibility of but one instead of both, or the mother does the instructing, but the father is the disciplinarian who lays down the law.
Pro 1:9. A chaplet is a wreath or garland that the victor wore on his head. When Joseph was promoted to a ruler in Egypt, they put a gold chain about his neck, he rode in Egypts second chariot, and they cried before him, Bow the knee (Gen 41:43). Following the sound teachings of the father would bring the son to great dignity as well as give a beauty to his life. The elements of good character are likened to spiritual ornaments. Women particularly are warned in physical charm: Whose adorning let it not be the outward adorning of braiding the hair, and of wearing of jewels of gold, or of putting on apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptible apparel of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price (1Pe 3:3-4). See 1Ti 2:9-10 and Pro 3:22.
STUDY QUESTIONS – Pro 1:1-9
1. Compile background information on Solomon besides the 2 things mentioned in Pro 1:1.
2. What other books of the Bible did Solomon write?
3. The first purpose of Proverbs is to help one know …………. (Pro 1:2-6).
4. What is the meaning of discern (Pro 1:2)?
5. What is meant by wise dealing (Pro 1:3)?
6. What is the meaning of equity (Pro 1:3)?
7. What does prudence mean (Pro 1:4)?
8. What would be the purpose of Proverbs to one who is already wise (Pro 1:5)?
9. What is meant by dark sayings (Pro 1:6)?
10. What is the first proverb (or wise saying) in the book Pro 1:7?
11. What in Pro 1:8 shows that mothers should join fathers in laying down the law to their children?
12. What was a chaplet (Pro 1:9)?
13. What New Testament passages also describe virtues as ornaments (Pro 1:9)?
My son: Pro 1:10, Pro 1:15, Pro 2:1, Pro 3:1, Pro 7:1, Mat 9:2, Mat 9:22
hear: Pro 4:1-4, Pro 5:1, Pro 5:2, Pro 6:20, Pro 30:17, Pro 31:1, Lev 19:3, Deu 21:18-21, 1Sa 2:25, 2Ti 1:5
Reciprocal: Gen 28:7 – General Gen 49:2 – hearken Exo 20:12 – Honour Deu 4:9 – teach them Rth 3:6 – and did Pro 8:33 – Hear Pro 19:20 – receive Pro 23:22 – Hearken Pro 25:12 – a wise Jer 35:8 – General Eph 6:1 – obey
Pro 1:8-9. My son, &c. He speaks to his scholars with paternal authority and affection, to render them more attentive and obedient. Teachers among the Hebrews were commonly called fathers, and their scholars their sons. Hear the instruction of thy father His good and wholesome counsels; and forsake not the law of thy mother Those pious instructions which thy mother instilled into thee in thy tender years. This he adds, because children, when grown up, are very prone to slight their mothers advice, because of the infirmity of their sex, and because they have not that dependance upon, and expectation from their mothers, which they have from their fathers. They shall be an ornament, &c. This will make thee amiable and honourable in the sight of God and of men, whereas the forsaking of those good counsels will make thee contemptible.
1:8 My son, hear the instruction of thy {g} father, and forsake not the law of thy {h} mother:
(g) He speaks this in the Name of God, who is the universal Father of all creatures, or in the name of the pastor of the Church, who is as a father.
(h) That is, of the Church, in which the faithful are begotten by the incorruptible seed of God’s word.
B. Instruction for Young People 1:8-8:36
The two ways (paths, worldviews) introduced in Pro 1:7 stretch out before the reader (cf. Mat 7:13-14). In this section Solomon spoke to his son, guiding him into God’s way. "My son" was and is a customary way of addressing a disciple.
"It derives from the idea that parents are primarily responsible for moral instruction (Pro 4:3-4; Deu 6:7)." [Note: Ross, p. 907.]
The frequent recurrence of the phrase "my son" in this part of Proverbs indicates that the instruction specially suited a young person. This person’s life lay in front of him, and he faced major decisions that would set the course of his life from then on. Though the whole Book of Proverbs gives help to youths, chapters 1-7 address them specifically and can be of particular benefit to them.
The instruction that follows was originally the type of counsel a courtier father gave his son or sons in his home. This seems to have been a traditional form of ancient Near Eastern education, especially among the ruling classes. This instruction did not replace a formal education but supplemented it. [Note: William Kelly Simpson, ed., The Literature of Egypt, p. 54; cf. pp. 178-79.]
In Egypt, for example, "The authors of the [wisdom] ’teachings’ do not present themselves as priests and prophets. They appear as aged officials at the end of active and successful careers, desirous to let their children profit by their experience." [Note: Henri Frankfort, Ancient Egyptian Religion, p. 60. Cf. James B. Pritchard, ed., Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, p. 12.]
Earlier, Akkadian officials evidently practiced the same custom.
"The advice given in the section ’My son’ can have had relevance for very few people. . . . This suggests that we are to construe the text as being in the form of admonitions of some worthy to his son who will succeed him as vizier to the ruler." [Note: Lambert, p. 96.]
Other evidence exists that it was common throughout the ancient Near East for high officials to pass on this special instruction to their heirs. In Proverbs, we have the record of what Solomon told his son Rehoboam, and probably also his other sons.
". . . the Book of Proverbs has a definite masculine focus because in the ancient Jewish society daughters usually weren’t educated for the affairs of life. Most of them were kept secluded and prepared for marriage and motherhood. For the most part, when you read ’man’ in Proverbs, interpret it generically and read ’person,’ whether male or female. Proverbs isn’t a sexist book, but it was written in the context of a strongly male-oriented society." [Note: Wiersbe, p. 172, n. 1.]
In the teaching that follows, there is advice for many situations a king would encounter and have to deal with effectively. These matters included the administration of justice, leadership, behavior, as well as urban and agricultural concerns. Consequently, there seems to be no reason to take these references to "my son" as anything other than what they appear at face value to be (cf. Gen 18:19; Exo 12:24; Deu 4:9-11).
In some parts of the ancient world, the mother shared the duty of instructing the son with the father (cf. Pro 1:8; Pro 4:3; Pro 6:20; Pro 31:1; Pro 31:26). [Note: Kidner did a subject study on the family in Proverbs. See pp. 49-52.]
"Here the father and mother are placed on exactly the same footing as teachers of their children. . . . The phraseology of these sentences corresponds almost exactly to that of their Egyptian counterparts . . . and this throws into greater relief the one feature which is entirely unique in them: the mention of the mother. It is difficult to avoid the conclusion that this feature is an example of the adaptation of the Egyptian tradition to the peculiar situation in which the Israelite instructions were composed: a domestic situation in which the father and mother together shared the responsibility for the education of the child." [Note: R. N. Whybray, Wisdom in Proverbs, p. 42.]
Archaeologists have found most of the documents that contain extrabiblical instruction of the "my son" type in excavated scribal schools. This suggests that even though the teaching took place in the home, the teachers preserved their instructions in writing, with a view to sharing them with people outside the family circle. This suggests that what we have in Proverbs is not atypical. Probably when Solomon recorded his counsel to his son, he adapted it to a more general reading audience, namely: all the people of Israel. Eventually all people profited from it.
"The principles articulated throughout the book are as helpful for living the Christian life as they were for providing guidance to the ancient theocratic community of Israel." [Note: Eugene H. Merrill, in The Old Testament Explorer, p. 482.]
1. Warning against consorting with sinners 1:8-19
In this pericope, the wise way (following the moral law in general, Pro 1:8-9) does not have the personal appeal, or the excitement and hope of power, that the second way does (Pro 1:10-19). Its only reward is goodness, as opposed to acceptance by one’s peers.
"The Bible is the basic textbook in the home. It was once the basic textbook in the educational system, but even if that were still true, the Bible in the school can’t replace the Bible in the home. I note that many modern parents sacrifice time and money to help their children excel in music, sports, and social activities; I trust they’re even more concerned that their children excel in knowing and obeying the Word of God." [Note: Wiersbe, p. 104.]
Pro 1:19 articulates the point of the comparison. The Hebrew word translated "gains" (Pro 1:19) implies a money-grabbing attitude (cf. Pro 15:27).
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)