Proverbs 15:5 (DBY)

Passage

A fool despiseth his father's instruction; but he that regardeth reproof becometh prudent.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 15:3 The eyes of Jehovah are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.

Proverbs 15:4 Gentleness of tongue is a tree of life; but crookedness therein is a breaking of the spirit.

Proverbs 15:5 A fool despiseth his father's instruction; but he that regardeth reproof becometh prudent.

Proverbs 15:6 In the house of a righteous [man] is much treasure; but in the revenue of a wicked [man] is disturbance.

Proverbs 15:7 The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, but not so the heart of the foolish.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "fool", "despiseth", "father's", "instruction", "regardeth", "reproof", "becometh", and "prudent". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "fool" and "despiseth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "Gentleness of tongue is a tree of..." into verse 6's "In the house of a righteous man...", so "fool" and "despiseth" 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 "fool" and "despiseth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.