Proverbs 17:25 (DBY)

Passage

A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bore him.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 17:23 A wicked [man] taketh a gift out of the bosom, to pervert the paths of judgment.

Proverbs 17:24 Wisdom is before 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 bore him.

Proverbs 17:26 To punish a righteous [man] is not good, nor to strike nobles because of [their] uprightness.

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "foolish", "grief", "father", "bitterness", and "bore". 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 him that hath understanding..." into verse 26's "To punish a righteous man 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.