21 Having a fool for a child is misery; it's no fun being the parent of a dolt.
22 A cheerful disposition is good for your health; gloom and doom leave you bone-tired.
23 The wicked take bribes under the table; they show nothing but contempt for justice.
24 The perceptive find wisdom in their own front yard; fools look for it everywhere but right here.
25 A surly, stupid child is sheer pain to a father, a bitter pill for a mother to swallow.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Proverbs 17:21-25
Commentary on Proverbs 17:21
(Read Proverbs 17:21)
This speaks very plainly what many wise and good men feel very strongly, how grievous it is to have a foolish, wicked child.
Commentary on Proverbs 17:22
(Read Proverbs 17:22)
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.
Commentary on Proverbs 17:23
(Read Proverbs 17:23)
The wicked are ready to part with their money, though loved, that they may not suffer for their crimes.
Commentary on Proverbs 17:24
(Read Proverbs 17:24)
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.
Commentary on Proverbs 17:25
(Read Proverbs 17:25)
Wicked children despise the authority of their father, and the tenderness of their mother.