Passage
A fool despiseth the instruction of his father, And whoso is regarding reproof is prudent.
Proverbs 15:5 (YLT)
Nearby Context
Proverbs 15:3 In every place are the eyes of Jehovah, Watching the evil and the good.
Proverbs 15:4 A healed tongue <FI>is<Fi> a tree of life, And perverseness in it--a breach in the spirit.
Proverbs 15:5 A fool despiseth the instruction of his father, And whoso is regarding reproof is prudent.
Proverbs 15:6 <FI> In<Fi> the house of the righteous <FI>is<Fi> abundant strength, And in the increase of the wicked--trouble.
Proverbs 15:7 The lips of the wise scatter knowledge, And the heart of fools <FI>is<Fi> not right.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "fool", "despiseth", "instruction", "father", "whoso", "regarding", "reproof", 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 "A healed tongue FI is Fi a..." into verse 6's "FI In Fi the house of the...", 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.