A wise son brings gladness to his father and provides an answer to those who would reproach him
Proverbs 27:11 records a father's appeal to his son: Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him who reproaches me (v. 11). The verse names two motivations.
The first motivation is the father's joy: Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad. The same instruction that ran through Proverbs 23 returns here. The father wants gladness in his son's wise life.
The second motivation is more specific: That I may answer him who reproaches me. Fathers in the ancient world and today, were sometimes reproached by enemies who pointed to a foolish son as evidence against the father's character or teaching. A wise son becomes the father's answer to such reproach. The son's life vindicates the father's training. The verse asks the son to consider that his choices reflect on more than himself.
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Proverbs 27:11 meaning
Proverbs 27:11 records a father's appeal to his son: Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him who reproaches me (v. 11). The verse names two motivations.
The first motivation is the father's joy: Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad. The same instruction that ran through Proverbs 23 returns here. The father wants gladness in his son's wise life.
The second motivation is more specific: That I may answer him who reproaches me. Fathers in the ancient world and today, were sometimes reproached by enemies who pointed to a foolish son as evidence against the father's character or teaching. A wise son becomes the father's answer to such reproach. The son's life vindicates the father's training. The verse asks the son to consider that his choices reflect on more than himself.