Proverbs 15:20 (KJV)

Passage

A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 15:18 A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.

Proverbs 15:19 The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain.

Proverbs 15:20 A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother.

Proverbs 15:21 Folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom: but a man of understanding walketh uprightly.

Proverbs 15:22 Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wise", "maketh", "glad", "father", "foolish", "despiseth", and "mother". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wise" and "maketh", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "The way of the slothful man is..." into verse 21's "Folly is joy to him that is...", so "wise" and "maketh" 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 "wise" and "maketh" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.