Proverbs 15:5 (WEB)

Passage

A fool despises his father’s correction, but he who heeds reproof shows prudence.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 15:3 Yahweh’s eyes are everywhere, keeping watch on the evil and the good.

Proverbs 15:4 A gentle tongue is a tree of life, but deceit in it crushes the spirit.

Proverbs 15:5 A fool despises his father’s correction, but he who heeds reproof shows prudence.

Proverbs 15:6 In the house of the righteous is much treasure, but the income of the wicked brings trouble.

Proverbs 15:7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so with the heart of fools.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "fool", "despises", "father", "correction", "heeds", "reproof", "shows", and "prudence". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "fool" and "despises", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

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