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Correct your son, and he will give you peace; yes, he will bring delight to your soul.
Proverbs 29:17 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.
  • BSB Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will bring delight to your soul.
  • ESV Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will give delight to your heart.
  • NKJV Correct your son, and he will give you rest; Yes, he will give delight to your soul.
  • NASB Correct your son, and he will give you comfort; He will also delight your soul.
  • NLT Discipline your children, and they will give you peace of mind and will make your heart glad.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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

Disciplining your child brings lasting peace and delight to your soul. It promises that faithful correction yields joy and rest for parents.

Overview

The proverb assures parents that correcting their child results in peace and brings delight to the heart. Loving discipline is an investment that yields a well-ordered, joyful household. This reflects the fruitful, peaceable outcome of God's own loving discipline of His children, training them in righteousness (Hebrews 12:11).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 6

  • Prov 10:1The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father; but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.
  • Prov 29:15The rod of correction gives wisdom, but a child left to himself causes shame to his mother.
  • Prov 13:24One who spares the rod hates his son, but one who loves him is careful to discipline him.
  • Prov 23:13–14Don’t withhold correction from a child. If you punish him with the rod, he will not die.
  • Prov 22:15Folly is bound up in the heart of a child: the rod of discipline drives it far from him.
  • Prov 19:18Discipline your son, for there is hope; don’t be a willing party to his death.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Proverbs videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Proverbs 29:17YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ProverbsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 29:17 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.