What is the meaning of Proverbs 23:15?

My son,

- The verse opens with a tender, relational address. Solomon speaks as a caring father, echoing earlier appeals in Proverbs (see Proverbs 1:8; 3:1; 4:1).

- This father-child language reminds us that wisdom is meant to be passed on personally, generation to generation, just as Paul called the Corinthians “my beloved children” (1 Corinthians 4:14–15) and John wrote, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 4).

- Behind Solomon’s voice stands our heavenly Father, inviting every believer into the same intimate, instructive relationship (compare Hebrews 12:6-7).

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if your heart is wise,

- Wisdom here is more than sharp thinking; it is a heart aligned with God’s ways (Proverbs 4:23; Deuteronomy 6:5).

• It embraces the “fear of the LORD” (Proverbs 9:10).

• It produces peaceable, gentle, obedient living (James 3:17; Colossians 1:9-10).

- By aiming at the heart, the verse stresses inward transformation, not mere outward compliance. When a child’s motives, loves, and decisions flow from godly wisdom, everything else follows.

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my own heart will indeed rejoice.

- A parent’s deepest delight is seeing a child walk in wisdom (Proverbs 10:1; 23:24-25).

- Solomon’s joy foreshadows God’s joy when His children live rightly—like the shepherd rejoicing over the found sheep (Luke 15:7).

- This promise motivates both children to pursue wisdom and parents to nurture it, knowing that family harmony and divine pleasure are at stake.

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summary

Proverbs 23:15 pictures a loving father addressing his child: “My son, if your heart is wise, my own heart will indeed rejoice”. The verse ties a child’s inner embrace of godly wisdom to the overflowing joy of the parent—and ultimately of God Himself. When our hearts choose wisdom, everyone’s heart rejoices.