Proverbs 29:3

Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father: but he that keepeth company with harlots spendeth his substance.

King James Version · Read in your translation · Open the Explore console

Word by word — the Hebrew

Word	Hebrew	Strong’s	Meaning
Whoso	אִֽישׁ 'ish-	H376	a man as an individual or a male person · noun, common masculine singular absolute
loveth	אֹהֵ֣ב 'o.Hev	H157	to have affection for (sexually or otherwise) · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
wisdom	חָ֭כְמָה chokh.mah	H2451	wisdom (in a good sense) · noun, common feminine singular absolute
rejoiceth	יְשַׂמַּ֣ח ye.sa.Mach	H8055	probably to brighten up · verb, piel imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
father	אָבִ֑יו 'a.Viv	H1	father · noun, common masculine singular construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
company	וְרֹעֶ֥ה ve.ro.'Eh	H7462	to tend a flock · conjunction + verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
harlots	ז֝וֹנ֗וֹת zo.Not	H2181	to commit adultery (usually of the female · verb, qal active participle, feminine plural absolute
spendeth	יְאַבֶּד ye.'a.bed-	H6	properly · verb, piel imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
substance	הֽוֹן Hon	H1952	wealth · noun, common masculine singular absolute

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Proverbs 27:11 My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth me.
Proverbs 10:1 The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.
Proverbs 15:20 A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother.
Luke 15:30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf.
Proverbs 28:7 Whoso keepeth the law is a wise son: but he that is a companion of riotous men shameth his father.
Luke 15:13 And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with…
Proverbs 6:26 For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life.
Proverbs 5:8-10 Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 29:3

Both the parts of this verse repeat what has been often said, but, on comparing them together, the sense of them will be enlarged from each other. 1. Be it observed, to the honour of a virtuous young man, that he loves wisdom, he is a philosopher (for that signifies a lover of wisdom), for religion is the best philosophy; he avoids bad company, and especially the company of lewd women. Hereby he rejoices his parents, and has the satisfaction of being a comfort to them, and increases his estate, and is likely to live comfortably. 2. Be it observed, to the reproach of a vicious young man, that he hates wisdom; he keeps company with scandalous women, who will be his ruin, both in soul and body;…

Read the whole note in the console

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 29:3

(Compare Pro 4:6-7; Pro 10:1, &c.).

John Gill on Proverbs 29:3

Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father,.... He that is a philosopher, especially a religious one, that not only loves and seeks after natural wisdom, but moral wisdom and knowledge; and more particularly evangelical wisdom, Christ the Wisdom of God, who is to be valued and loved above all things; the Gospel of Christ, which is the wisdom of God in a mystery; and the knowledge of it which is the wisdom which comes from above and is pure and peaceable; and which lies much in the fear of God, and in the faith of Jesus Christ, attended with all the fruits of righteousness: such a son makes glad his father, both because of his temporal good, since he does not waste but improve the substance he…

Read the whole note in the console

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 29:3

This political proverb is now followed by one of general ethics: 3 A man who loveth wisdom delighteth his father; And he who keepeth company with harlots spendeth his substance. Line first is a variation of Pro 10:1. אישׁ־אהב has, according to rule, the Metheg, cf. 9a. אישׁ is man, without distinction of age, from childhood (Gen 4:1) up to ripe old age (Isa 66:13); love and dutiful relation towards father and mother never cease. Line second reminds of Pro 28:7 (cf. Pro 13:20).

The Church Fathers

In my view, the sketch of a soul which yearns to preserve the blessed tradition without losing a single drop runs something like this: "When a man loves wisdom, his father's heart will be warmed." Wells which are constantly baled out provide a clearer water; wells which no one draws from turn to rottenness. Use keeps iron brighter; disuse produces rust in it. In general, exercise produces fitness in souls and bodies.
— Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata Book 1

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Adultery · 24:15-18;31:1,9-12; — 24:15-18;31:1,9-12;
Wisdom · .UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO — .UNCLASSIFIED SCRIPTURES RELATING TO
Young Men · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Proverbs 29:3

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 29:3

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 29:3

John Gill on Proverbs 29:3

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 29:3

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Proverbs 29:3

Word by word — the Hebrew

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Proverbs 29:3

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Proverbs 29:3

John Gill on Proverbs 29:3

Keil & Delitzsch on Proverbs 29:3

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Proverbs 29:3

Rashi on Proverbs 29:3