Bible Strands
Proverbs 29:15
A rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The text is a wisdom maxim positioned between a directive on a king’s judicial fairness and a warning about the expansion of rebellion. It addresses the parallel between sovereign order and domestic discipline.
The words — שֵׁבֶט (Shevet) means “rod,” and מְשֻׁלָּח (meshulach) means “let loose” or “abandoned.” These terms establish the verse’s structural contrast between restrained correction and unchecked freedom.
The thread — The link between parental discipline and familial honor runs through Proverbs 10:1 and Proverbs 17:25, while Proverbs 29:17 explicitly commands discipline to secure future rest. The corrective authority theme continues the judicial order introduced in Proverbs 29:14.
Why it lands — The text states that deliberate correction produces wisdom, while neglect guarantees shame. It requires the reader to apply active restraint in upbringing rather than permit unguided independence.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 10:1 The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grief to his mother.
- Proverbs 17:25 A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.
- Proverbs 29:17 Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will bring delight to your soul.
- Proverbs 13:24 He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.
- Proverbs 22:15 Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.
- Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
- Proverbs 17:21 A man fathers a fool to his own grief; the father of a fool has no joy.
- Proverbs 23:13 Do not withhold discipline from a child; although you strike him with a rod, he will not die.
- Hebrews 12:10 Our fathers disciplined us for a short time as they thought best, but God disciplines us for our good, so that we may share in His holiness.
- Proverbs 10:5 He who gathers in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.