Proverbs 17:25 (ASV)

Passage

A foolish son is a grief to his father, And bitterness to her that bare him.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 17:23 A wicked man receiveth a bribe out of the bosom, To pervert the ways of justice.

Proverbs 17:24 Wisdom is before the face of him that hath understanding; But the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.

Proverbs 17:25 A foolish son is a grief to his father, And bitterness to her that bare him.

Proverbs 17:26 Also to punish the righteous is not good, [Nor] to smite the noble for [their] uprightness.

Proverbs 17:27 He that spareth his words hath knowledge; And he that is of a cool spirit is a man of understanding.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "foolish", "grief", "father", "bitterness", and "bare". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "foolish" and "grief", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 24's "Wisdom is before the face of him..." into verse 26's "Also to punish the righteous is not...", so "foolish" and "grief" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "foolish" and "grief" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.