The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.
Parallel translations
- WEB The father of the righteous has great joy. Whoever fathers a wise child delights in 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 maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother.
- Prov 10:1The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.
- Prov 29:3Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father: but he that keepeth company with harlots spendeth his substance.
- Prov 23:15–16My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.
- Phlm 1:20Yea, brother, let me have joy of thee in the Lord: refresh my bowels in the Lord.
- Phlm 1:9Yet for love’s sake I rather beseech thee, being such an one as Paul the aged, and now also a prisoner of Jesus Christ.
- 1 Kgs 2:9Now therefore hold him not guiltless: for thou art a wise man, and knowest what thou oughtest to do unto him; but his hoar head bring thou down to the grave with blood.
- 1 Kgs 2:1–3Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,
- Eccl 2:19And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.
- 1 Kgs 1:48And also thus said the king, Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, which hath given one to sit on my throne this day, mine 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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