Children’s children are the crown of old men; the glory of children are their parents.
Parallel translations
- KJV Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.
- BSB Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of a son is his father.
- NKJV Children’s children are the crown of old men, And the glory of children is their father.
- NASB Grandchildren are the crown of the old, And the glory of sons is their fathers.
- NLT Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged; parents are the pride of their children.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Grandchildren are an honor to the elderly, and parents are the pride of their children. It matters because generations are meant to be a mutual crown of honor.
Overview
This proverb celebrates the blessing of family across generations: grandchildren crown the old, and godly parents are the glory of their children. It honors the family bonds God designed and the legacy of faithfulness passed down. Such generational blessing reflects God's covenant care across the ages (Psalm 78:4-7).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Ps 127:3–5Behold, children are a heritage of Yahweh. The fruit of the womb is his reward.
- Prov 16:31Gray hair is a crown of glory. It is attained by a life of righteousness.
- Prov 13:22A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored for the righteous.
- Ps 128:3–6Your wife will be as a fruitful vine, in the innermost parts of your house; your children like olive plants, around your table.
- Exod 3:14–15God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM,” and he said, “You shall tell the children of Israel this: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
- 1 Kgs 11:12Nevertheless, I will not do it in your days, for David your father’s sake; but I will tear it out of your son’s hand.
- 1 Kgs 15:4Nevertheless for David’s sake, Yahweh his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem;
- Gen 50:23Joseph saw Ephraim’s children to the third generation. The children also of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were born on Joseph’s knees.
- Job 42:16–17After this Job lived one hundred forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons’ sons, to four generations.
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 17:6 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.