What is the meaning of Proverbs 19:13? A foolish son “Foolish” in Proverbs describes someone who rejects God’s wisdom and chooses stubborn, reckless paths (Proverbs 1:7, 12:15). • Proverbs 10:1 and 17:25 show the same theme: “A wise son brings joy…but a foolish son grief.” • Such folly is moral, not merely intellectual; it ignores the fear of the LORD that is “the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 9:10). • The verse reminds parents that training children in godliness (Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4) is not optional but essential. is his father’s ruin “A foolish son is his father’s ruin” (Proverbs 19:13). The word “ruin” pictures the father’s life being torn down brick by brick. • Emotional collapse: Proverbs 17:21 says a fool “brings no joy.” The weight of continual disappointment saps a parent’s strength. • Reputational damage: 1 Samuel 2:12-17 shows Eli’s sons disgracing their father and God’s people. • Spiritual grief: 3 John 4 captures the opposite, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” A child walking away from truth devastates a godly parent. and a quarrelsome wife Living under the same roof with constant contention drains the soul. • Proverbs 21:9, 21:19 warn that it is “better to live on the corner of a roof…or in the desert” than with such strife. • The problem isn’t strong opinions but an unyielding, chafing spirit (cf. James 3:14-17, where earthly wisdom is “full of disorder”). • Marriage was designed for companionship and mutual help (Genesis 2:18; Ephesians 5:25-33). A quarrelsome attitude flips that design into combat. is like a constant dripping The picture is of water plinking relentlessly on a roof—never catastrophic, yet never stopping. • Proverbs 27:15 compares the nagging drip to a rainy day that keeps a man from rest. • Over time, steady drips erode stone and rot wood; likewise persistent contention erodes trust, patience, intimacy. • God’s wisdom urges both spouses to cultivate peace: Colossians 3:12-14; 1 Peter 3:1-9. summary Proverbs 19:13 offers a double caution about family life. Unchecked foolishness in a child can dismantle a father’s joy and legacy, while unchecked contentiousness in a spouse can corrode the home drop by drop. God’s remedy is to embrace His wisdom early—children learning obedience and parents modeling it, husbands and wives choosing gentle, peace-making words. In homes where each heart submits to the Lord, ruin and dripping give way to stability and refreshment. |
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