The father of the righteous has great joy. Whoever fathers a wise child delights in him.
Parallel translations
- KJV The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.
- BSB The father of a righteous man will greatly rejoice, and he who fathers a wise son will delight in him.
- NKJV The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who begets a wise child will delight in him.
- NASB ¶The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.
- NLT The father of godly children has cause for joy. What a pleasure to have children who are wise.
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
The father of a righteous, wise child rejoices greatly.
Overview
A wise and righteous child is a source of profound joy to a godly parent. The verse celebrates that wisdom in the next generation is a true reward. It reflects the heart of God, who delights in His children's righteousness, and the joy of the faithful over those who walk in truth (3 John 4).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Prov 15:20A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish man despises his mother.
- Prov 10:1The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father; but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.
- Prov 29:3Whoever loves wisdom brings joy to his father; but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.
- Prov 23:15–16My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart will be glad, even mine:
- Phlm 1:20Yes, brother, let me have joy from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in the Lord.
- Phlm 1:9yet for love’s sake I rather beg, being such a one as Paul, the aged, but also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
- 1 Kgs 2:9Now therefore don’t hold him guiltless, for you are a wise man; and you will know what you ought to do to him, and you shall bring his gray head down to Sheol with blood.”
- 1 Kgs 2:1–3Now the days of David came near that he should die; and he commanded Solomon his son, saying,
- Eccl 2:19Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all of my labor in which I have labored, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.
- 1 Kgs 1:48Also thus said the king, ‘Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel, who has given one to sit on my throne today, my eyes even seeing it.’”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 23:24 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
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