Proverbs 17:21-25

²¹ He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow, and the father of a fool has no joy.

²² A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

²³ The wicked accepts a bribe in secret [1] to pervert the ways of justice.

²⁴ The discerning sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

²⁵ A foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.

Proverbs 17

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Matthew Henry's Commentary on Proverbs 17:21-25

This speaks very plainly what many wise and good men feel very strongly, how grievous it is to have a foolish, wicked child.

It is great mercy that God gives us leave to be cheerful, and cause to be cheerful, if by his grace he gives us hearts to be cheerful.

The wicked are ready to part with their money, though loved, that they may not suffer for their crimes.

The prudent man keeps the word of God continually in view. But the foolish man cannot fix his thoughts, nor pursue any purpose with steadiness.

Wicked children despise the authority of their father, and the tenderness of their mother.

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.