Proverbs 23:25 · Bible study
Proverbs 23:25 Commentary: The Call to Make Parents Glad
Hebrew · 6 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Examine how Proverbs 23:25 commands children to pursue wisdom for their parents’ joy, revealing the intergenerational nature of gladness in the
Research Summary
- Meaning: The wise child’s conduct directly produces joy in both father and mother.
- Key words: yismach (rejoice, H8055), tagel (exult, H1523), yoladteka (she who bore you, H3205).
- Main debate: Whether the verbs are jussive (exhortation) or future (prediction); the majority of versions and commentators treat them as a call to action.
- Theological theme: Intergenerational blessing, wisdom is not an individual possession but a gift that flows from child to parent, and from parents to the wider family.
- Best use: Preaching on the fifth commandment, parenting, or the family as a school of wisdom; also applicable to spiritual parenthood and our walk with God.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
May your father and mother be glad, and may she who gave you birth rejoice!
WEB World English Bible 2000
Let your father and your mother be glad! Let her who bore you rejoice!
KJV King James Version 1769
Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Let thy father and thy mother be glad, And let her that bare thee rejoice.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Rejoice doth thy father and thy mother, Yea, she that bare thee is joyful.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
let thy father and thy mother have joy, and let her that bore thee rejoice.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Let thy father and thy mother be joyful, and let her rejoice that bore thee.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Alégrense tu padre y tu madre, y gócese la que te engendró.
Teu pai e tua mãe se alegrarão; aquela te te gerou se encherá de alegria.
Que ton père et ta mère se réjouissent,
Laß sich deinen Vater und deine Mutter freuen, und fröhlich sein, die dich geboren hat.
Laat uw vader zich verblijden, ook uw moeder; en laat haar zich verheugen, die u gebaard heeft.
Possan tuo padre e tua madre rallegrarsi, e possa gioire colei che t’ha partorito!
Niech się tedy weseli ojciec twój, i matka twoja; i niech się rozraduje rodzicielka twoja.
Да веселится отец твой и да торжествует мать твоя, родившая тебя.
你要使父 母 歡喜，使生你的 快樂。
Let your father and your mother be glad, let her who gave you birth have joy.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Proverbs 23:25
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree this verse connects a child’s wisdom and righteousness to the deep gladness of parents. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges calls it “an exhortation to the son to verify by his own conduct the statement of the preceding verse.” Gill’s Exposition expands: “do everything that may make their hearts glad … by treading in their steps … by living soberly and righteously.” Matthew Henry sees it as “good advice for parents to give to their children.” The Hebrew verbs yismach (from H8055) and tagel (from H1523) appear in jussive (volitional) forms, not simple futures, so the verse functions as a command, not merely a prediction. Keil and Delitzsch treat it as part of an octastich that begins with a call to childlike obedience. Whether read as imperative (“Let … be glad”) or as indicative (“shall be glad”), the practical force is the same: the son is to live in such a way that his parents rejoice.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Jussive command: The Hebrew verbs yismach and tagel can be parsed as jussives, supported by the LXX (εὐφραινέσθω, χαιρέτω) and Vulgate (gaudeat, exsultet), and by the Cambridge and Keil-Delitzsch commentaries.
- Future promise: The KJV, Geneva Bible, and some English versions read the verbs as simple futures ('shall be glad'), seeing the verse as a statement of the natural result of wisdom.
- Extended figurative application: Gill mentions that some readers apply the verse to God the Father and the Church as a spiritual mother, citing the broader wisdom theme of the faithful as children of God.
What is clear: The verse unequivocally teaches that a child’s pursuit of wisdom and righteousness brings joy to both father and mother, reflecting the wisdom tradition’s conviction that choices have intergenerational consequences.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Verb mood (jussive vs. future indicative) | Both readings affirm that a wise child brings gladness to parents. | Some versions (KJV, Geneva Bible Notes) render the verbs as future indicative ('shall be glad'), while others (ASV, BSB, Cambridge, Keil-Delitzsch) treat them as jussive ('Let … be glad'). The Hebrew forms allow either; the jussive emphasizes the child's active responsibility, the future emphasizes the outcome. |
| Literal vs. figurative application (earthly parents only or God/Church) | The primary meaning concerns biological parents, reflecting the wisdom tradition's family focus. | Gill notes that 'some accommodate this to God our heavenly Father, and to the church, the Jerusalem above, the mother of us all.' This figurative reading extends the verse, but most commentators keep it literal. |
| Scope of the command (specific actions vs. whole life of wisdom) | The verse calls for conduct that makes parents glad, rooted in wisdom and righteousness. | Some stress specific acts of honor (Gill: 'ministering to their necessities … following their examples'), while others (Keil-Delitzsch) see it as the fruit of a comprehensive pursuit of truth, wisdom, discipline, and understanding. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Proverbs 23:25 stands within a section often called “the thirty sayings of the wise” (Proverbs 22:17, 24:22). These sayings are addressed directly to a “my son,” reflecting the father-to-son instruction typical of ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature. The immediate context (vv. 22, 24) commands the son to listen to his parents, to buy truth, wisdom, discipline, and understanding, and then declares that “the father of the righteous has great joy.” Verse 25 then turns the general statement into a direct charge: the son himself must be the agent of that joy.
In ancient Israel, a child’s conduct was bound up with family honor and lineage. A wise son brought blessing and social standing to the whole household; a foolish son brought shame (Proverbs 10:1; 17:25, which speaks of “bitterness to her who bore him”). The verbs in this verse, yismach (rejoice) and tagel (exult), are used elsewhere in the Psalms for the joy of God’s people before him. Here they describe the deep, visceral happiness a parent feels when a child walks in wisdom.
The phrase “her who bore you” (יֹלַדְתֶּךָ, a Qal active participle from H3205) singles out the mother, highlighting her unique role in birth and nurture. The mother is not simply included with the father; she is named again with a verb of rejoicing (tagel). This double emphasis reflects the wisdom tradition’s recognition that both parents share in the sorrow or gladness their children produce, and that the mother’s bond carries its own particular weight.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries and versions note no significant textual variants for Proverbs 23:25. The Kethib/Qere issue mentioned in Lange concerning verse 26 (regarding tirtsenah vs. titsornah) does not affect this verse. The Masoretic Text is stable across manuscripts.
Reception History
Proverbs 23:25 has been read across Christian traditions as a call to filial piety and a motivation for parents to raise children in wisdom. The Geneva Bible Notes (1599) treat it as a straightforward promise, reinforcing the fifth commandment. Matthew Henry (1710) wove it into a larger exhortation for parents to instruct their children and for children to heed that instruction. Puritan and Reformed commentators consistently saw it as a practical application of the wisdom literature’s family ethics. Some Catholic and Orthodox readers have also applied it to the Virgin Mary as the mother of Jesus, the perfect wise Son, and to the Church as mother of the faithful. In modern preaching, the verse often appears in sermons on parenting, intergenerational faith, and the joy that comes when children walk in truth.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The command to gladden parents (v. 25): The jussive verbs call for active pursuit, not passive hope. A child is to live in a way that directly produces parental joy.
- The means: wisdom and righteousness (context vv. 23, 24): Buying truth, wisdom, discipline, and understanding, these are the choices that make a parent’s heart glad. Joy does not come from a child's success or fame but from their character.
- The outcome: intergenerational joy (v. 24, 25): The father of the righteous rejoices, and the mother who bore him exults. Joy flows back and forth between generations when children honor their parents by walking in God’s ways.
Five-point outline
- Listen and obey (v. 22): The foundation is heeding parents who gave you life.
- Invest in what matters (v. 23): Buy truth and do not sell it, wisdom is costly but worth any price.
- Know the goal (v. 24, 25): Your wisdom is not just for you; it is a gift your parents can receive.
- Honor both parents (v. 25): Father and mother each have a claim on your choices; the mother’s joy from childbirth is especially noted.
- Live so they rejoice (v. 25): The present-tense call to action, day by day, your life can either gladden or grieve.
Illustration hooks
- A parent watching an adult child make a difficult but ethical decision at work, the quiet pride that comes not from money but from integrity.
- The moment a teenager chooses to walk away from a harmful peer group, and the mother hears about it: a wave of relief and gladness that words cannot fully express.
- An aging parent, frail and forgetful, hearing a son or daughter pray with simple faith, the knowledge that the spiritual seed they planted is bearing fruit.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “My parents are not believers, can they still experience this gladness if I follow Christ?”
- “What if my parents are no longer alive? Is this verse still relevant to me?”
- “How can I ‘buy truth’ and ‘rejoice my parents’ when they have hurt me deeply?”
Leading a Discussion
Proverbs 23:25 sits inside a passage that repeatedly calls children to listen, buy truth, and live wisely. The verse does not mention abstract promises, it ties a concrete, emotional outcome (parental joy) to the child’s choices. In a culture that often sees faith as private, this verse insists that our walk with God has a family dimension. As you discuss, notice how the Hebrew verbs function as calls to action, not just predictions.
Discussion questions
- Read Proverbs 23:22, 25 as a unit. What connects the command to “buy the truth” in verse 23 with parental joy in verse 25?
- The Hebrew verbs for “be glad” and “rejoice” are jussive forms, they express a desire or command. How does that shape the way you read the verse? Is this a promise or a charge?
- The verse names the mother separately with “her who bore you.” Why do you think the writer gives the mother her own line? What does this say about her role and her joy?
- Think of a specific time you saw a parent rejoice because of a child's wise choice. What did that look like? How does that real-life example match or differ from the wisdom described here?
- Proverbs 17:25 provides the negative counterpart: “A foolish son brings grief to his father, and bitterness to her who bore him.” How do these two verses together shape a picture of the parent-child relationship?
- If someone says, “I can’t make my parents glad, they are never satisfied,” how would you respond from this passage without dismissing their pain?
- How might this verse apply to your relationship with God as your Father and the Church as your spiritual mother (as some commentators have noted)? Should your choices aim to gladden God’s heart as well?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| I Chronicles 4:9 | Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother named him Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him with sorrow.” |
| I Chronicles 4:10 | Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my border! May your hand be with me, and may you keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” God granted him that which he requested. |
| Proverbs 17:25 | A foolish son brings grief to his father, and bitterness to her who bore him. |
| Luke 1:31 | Behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and shall name him ‘Jesus.’ |
| Luke 1:33 | and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. There will be no end to his Kingdom.” |
| Luke 1:40 | and entered into the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. |
| Luke 1:47 | My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior, |
| Luke 1:58 | Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
6 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Christians who hold this view point to Proverbs 23:25 while others emphasize Proverbs 23:24. Both seek to be faithful to Scripture. You may find peace through honoring your parents.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Geneva Bible Notes sees this verse as a promise that honoring one’s parents brings joy to both them and the mother who gave birth. It shows that showing love to family creates lasting happiness for everyone involved.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that a child's righteous and wise conduct is what genuinely makes parents glad, not mere affection. He urges active efforts to bring them joy — supporting them in old age, following their godly example, and honoring God. He also notes that some apply this to God the Father and the church.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch see Proverbs 23:22 and 23:25 as one complete unit. They explain that the command to listen to parents in verse 22 directly leads to the instruction in verse 25 to make them happy. Your Father and Mother will rejoice because you follow their advice.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange reads Proverbs 23 as a unified warning against several forms of sensual self-indulgence, all rooted in covetousness. He stresses that the fear of Jehovah is the only safeguard against these ruinous desires, and that a hope which outlasts the grave is held out to the pious.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that obeying parents brings visible proof of wisdom. It also shows reverence for the Creator who made us and for the mother who carries us within her.