The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.
Parallel translations
- WEB The rod of correction gives wisdom, but a child left to himself causes shame to his mother.
- BSB A rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.
- NKJV The rod and rebuke give wisdom, But a child left to himself brings shame to his mother.
- NASB The rod and a rebuke give wisdom, But a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother.
- NLT To discipline a child produces wisdom, but a mother is disgraced by an undisciplined child.
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
Loving discipline imparts wisdom, but an uncorrected child brings shame. It commends godly correction as essential to raising wise children.
Overview
The proverb teaches that the rod of correction produces wisdom, while a child left undisciplined disgraces his mother. Loving, consistent discipline is part of faithful parenting. This reflects how the Lord lovingly disciplines His children for their good, that they may share His holiness (Hebrews 12:10-11).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Prov 10:1The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.
- Prov 17:25A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him.
- Prov 29:17Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.
- Prov 22:15Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.
- Prov 13:24He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.
- Prov 22:6Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
- Prov 17:21He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow: and the father of a fool hath no joy.
- Prov 23:13–14Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.
- Heb 12:10–11For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness.
- Prov 10:5He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.
- 1 Kgs 1:6And his father had not displeased him at any time in saying, Why hast thou done so? and he also was a very goodly man; and his mother bare him after Absalom.
- Prov 29:21He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child shall have him become his son at the length.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 29:15 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.