Commentary - Proverbs 23:22-25

Bird's-eye view

This brief section of Proverbs stands as a central pillar in the Bible's teaching on the covenant household. It is a dense concentration of wisdom that addresses the inter-generational obligations and blessings that flow from godly family life. The passage moves seamlessly from the duties of children toward their parents to the ultimate source of all familiar blessing, which is the acquisition of divine truth. The core message is that a stable, joyful, and multi-generational culture is not the result of accident or good intentions, but is rather built upon two foundational principles: honoring the authorities God has established in the home, and treasuring the objective truth He has revealed in the world. The joy spoken of here is not a fleeting emotion, but a deep, structural gladness that comes from seeing God's covenant promises take root and bear fruit in the lives of one's children. It is a picture of covenant succession in miniature.

Solomon, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is providing a multi-faceted command. He addresses the son, commanding respect for both father and mother, with a particular emphasis on not scorning the mother in her old age. He then pivots to the foundational pursuit that makes such honor possible: the relentless acquisition of truth, wisdom, and understanding. This is not just about being smart; it is about orienting one's entire life around the revealed reality of God. The passage then concludes by showing the blessed results of this kind of life. A righteous and wise son is not a burden or a grief, but rather the source of profound joy and gladness for his parents. This is God's design for the family, a design that finds its ultimate fulfillment in the relationship between God the Father and His righteous Son, Jesus Christ.

Outline

Context In Proverbs

This passage is situated within a larger collection of "the words of the wise" (Proverbs 22:17-24:34). Unlike the short, two-part parallelisms that dominate the central sections of Proverbs, this portion contains longer, more developed exhortations. The immediate context deals with various practical wisdoms, from warnings against drunkenness (23:19-21, 29-35) to admonitions about associating with fools. The verses we are considering form a tight, thematic unit focused on the family. The book of Proverbs as a whole is framed as instruction from a father to a son, and so this specific exhortation to honor parents fits perfectly within its overarching purpose. It reinforces one of the book's central messages: that wisdom is not an abstract concept but is learned and lived out within the covenant community, the most basic unit of which is the family. These verses are a potent summary of the Fifth Commandment, unpacked and applied with the practical, earthy wisdom characteristic of Proverbs.

Key Issues

The Family Economy

We live in a throwaway culture that has extended its disposable mentality to people. When things get old, we replace them. When people get old, we warehouse them. The modern world has dismantled the family economy, a system where multiple generations lived and worked in close proximity, where the aged were repositories of wisdom and the young were carriers of legacy. The Bible knows nothing of this fragmentation. In the biblical worldview, the family is the central institution of society, and honoring parents is not a sentimental suggestion but a non-negotiable command with a promise attached: "that your days may be long upon the land" (Ex. 20:12). This promise was not just for individual long life, but for cultural stability and longevity.

This passage in Proverbs gets to the heart of that family economy. It is an economy of honor, truth, and joy. Honor flows up from the children to the parents. Truth flows down from God to all. And joy radiates outward from the parents as they witness the fruit of their labors. When a society begins to despise its elderly, as ours does, it is a sign that it has already sold its truth for a bowl of thin, relativistic porridge. The gladness spoken of here is impossible in a culture that has abandoned its moorings. It is the gladness of a father who sees his son building on the foundation he laid, not taking a wrecking ball to it.

Verse by Verse Commentary

22 Listen to your father who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she is old.

The instruction begins with a command to listen, or hearken. This is more than just auditory reception; it is the language of covenant obedience. The basis for this listening is grounded in creation and providence: listen to him who begot you. Your father is the instrument God used to give you life. This is not a matter of sentiment; it is a matter of fact, and that fact carries with it a moral obligation. To reject your father's instruction is to rebel against the created order itself. This is foundational. All authority structures in society are built upon the pattern of the family, and if this first and most natural authority is rejected, all others will eventually crumble.

The second clause provides a crucial balance and a specific application. The mother is to be honored just as the father is. And the particular temptation addressed is to despise her when she is old. In a world obsessed with youth, beauty, and utility, an elderly mother can be seen as a burden. She is no longer in her prime. She may be frail, forgetful, or dependent. The world says to put her aside. God says that this is the very time when honor is most required and most tested. Despising her can take many forms: ignoring her counsel, resenting her needs, being ashamed of her frailty. This command is a direct assault on the pride and arrogance of youth. It requires a humility that recognizes the debt that can never be fully repaid to the one who bore you.

23 Buy truth, and do not sell it, Get wisdom and discipline and understanding.

This verse is the hinge upon which the entire passage turns. How can a son consistently honor his parents, especially flawed and sinful parents? Only by being anchored to something outside of and higher than the family itself. That anchor is truth. The language used here is commercial, and it is striking. Buy truth. This means truth has immense value, and it will cost you something to acquire it. It will cost you your pride, your time, your prejudices, and your sin. You must pursue it, seek it out, and be willing to pay the price. And once you have it, do not sell it. Do not trade it away for comfort, for popularity, for career advancement, or for a quiet life. The world will always be making you offers for your integrity. The command is to refuse all bids.

What is this truth? It is a cluster of related jewels: wisdom and discipline and understanding. This is not a collection of abstract facts. In Proverbs, wisdom is the skill of godly living. Discipline, or instruction, is the moral training that shapes character. Understanding is the discernment to navigate the complexities of life. Ultimately, all of this finds its source and substance in the person of Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). To buy truth is to get Christ. A man who has bought the truth will know how to honor his parents rightly, because he will honor them "in the Lord" (Eph. 6:1). His obedience will not be blind sentimentality, but principled honor rendered to the office they hold under God.

24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, And he who begets a wise son will be glad in him.

Here we see the blessed result, the return on the investment of truth. When a son buys truth and lives it out, becoming righteous and wise, it produces a profound reaction in his father. The text says he will greatly rejoice. This is not a mild satisfaction; it is an exultant, overflowing joy. The parallel line reinforces it: he will be glad in him. This is the opposite of the grief and bitterness that a foolish son brings to his parents (Prov. 17:25). Why this great joy? Because a godly father's deepest desire is not for his son to be rich, or famous, or successful in the world's eyes. His deepest desire is to see his son walk in the truth (3 John 4). It is the joy of seeing the covenant succession take hold. It is the gladness of knowing that the family name will continue to be associated with the name of the Lord. It is a foretaste of the joy of God the Father over His perfectly righteous Son.

25 Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her rejoice who gave birth to you.

This final verse turns the result into a command. The previous verse stated a fact: the father of the righteous will rejoice. This verse exhorts the son to make this his aim. Let your father and your mother be glad. Your life is not an isolated project. You are part of a covenant line, and your conduct has direct consequences for the joy and sorrow of those who brought you into the world. The command is a call to live in such a way that you are a source of gladness, not grief, to your parents. It is a purposeful pursuit.

Notice again the specific mention of the mother: and let her rejoice who gave birth to you. There is a particular and tender joy that a mother experiences in seeing her child flourish in godliness. She is the one who endured the pains of childbirth, the sleepless nights, the endless anxieties. To see the fruit of that labor become a man of wisdom and righteousness is a unique and profound reward. This verse is a call for a son to recognize that his life is the stewardship of his mother's travail, and he should live so as to make her glad she undertook it. It is the crown of a life well lived, to be a joy to your parents.

Application

The application of this passage must begin with a blunt assessment of our relationship with our parents. For those whose parents are still living, are you a source of gladness to them? Do you listen to them? Do you honor them, not just with lip service, but with your time, your attention, and your resources? For those of us who are older, have we made it a point to not despise our mothers in their old age? Our culture screams that the old are irrelevant. The Word of God commands us to give them double honor.

But the deeper application is found in verse 23. None of this familiar piety is possible in any consistent way apart from a tenacious grip on the truth. We live in an age that has sold truth for the cheap trinkets of expressive individualism. We are told that "your truth" is all that matters. This is a lie from the pit. There is only God's truth. Have you bought it? Has it cost you anything? Or are you holding it loosely, ready to sell it if the price is right? The call is to become a theological person, a person whose life is defined by the great objective realities of God's Word. It is only when we are grounded in the truth of the gospel that we can begin to build the kind of family that brings this deep, covenantal joy.

And finally, we must see all of this fulfilled in Christ. He was the only Son who perfectly listened to His Father. He was the only one who never despised his mother, caring for her even from the cross. He is the Truth, which He bought for us not with gold or silver, but with His own precious blood. And because of His righteousness, He is the source of the Father's eternal rejoicing. "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." When we are united to Him by faith, we are brought into that circle of divine gladness. And by His grace, we are then empowered to build our own little households as outposts of that same joy, places where truth is treasured, parents are honored, and God is glorified from one generation to the next.