Proverbs 6:20
New International Version
My son, keep your father’s command and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

New Living Translation
My son, obey your father’s commands, and don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.

English Standard Version
My son, keep your father’s commandment, and forsake not your mother’s teaching.

Berean Standard Bible
My son, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

King James Bible
My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

New King James Version
My son, keep your father’s command, And do not forsake the law of your mother.

New American Standard Bible
My son, comply with the commandment of your father, And do not ignore the teaching of your mother;

NASB 1995
My son, observe the commandment of your father And do not forsake the teaching of your mother;

NASB 1977
My son, observe the commandment of your father, And do not forsake the teaching of your mother;

Legacy Standard Bible
My son, observe the commandment of your father And do not abandon the law of your mother;

Amplified Bible
My son, be guided by your father’s [God-given] commandment (instruction) And do not reject the teaching of your mother;

Christian Standard Bible
My son, keep your father’s command, and don’t reject your mother’s teaching.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
My son, keep your father’s command, and don’t reject your mother’s teaching.

American Standard Version
My son, keep the commandment of thy father, And forsake not the law of thy mother:

Contemporary English Version
Obey the teaching of your parents--

English Revised Version
My son, keep the commandment of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
My son, obey the command of your father, and do not disregard the teachings of your mother.

Good News Translation
Son, do what your father tells you and never forget what your mother taught you.

International Standard Version
Keep your father's commands, my son, and never forsake your mother's rules,

Majority Standard Bible
My son, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

NET Bible
My child, guard the commands of your father and do not forsake the instruction of your mother.

New Heart English Bible
My son, keep your father's commandment, and do not forsake your mother's teaching.

Webster's Bible Translation
My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

World English Bible
My son, keep your father’s commandment, and don’t forsake your mother’s teaching.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Keep, my son, the command of your father, "" And do not leave the law of your mother.

Young's Literal Translation
Keep, my son, the command of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother.

Smith's Literal Translation
My son, watch the commands of thy father, and thou shalt not reject the laws of thy mother:
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
My son, keep the commandments of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.

Catholic Public Domain Version
My son, preserve the precepts of your father, and do not dismiss the law of your mother.

New American Bible
Observe, my son, your father’s command, and do not reject your mother’s teaching;

New Revised Standard Version
My child, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
My son, keep your father's commandment and do not forsake the law of your mother;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Keep, my son, the commandment of your father and do not forget the law of your mother.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
My son, keep the commandment of thy father, And forsake not the teaching of thy mother;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
My son, keep the laws of thy father, and reject not the ordinances of thy mother:

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Warnings Against Adultery
20My son, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. 21Bind them always upon your heart; tie them around your neck.…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 6:6-9
These words I am commanding you today are to be upon your hearts. / And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. / Tie them as reminders on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ...

Ephesians 6:1-3
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. / “Honor your father and mother” (which is the first commandment with a promise), / “that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on the earth.”

Colossians 3:20
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord.

Exodus 20:12
Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

Proverbs 1:8-9
Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother. / For they are a garland of grace on your head and a pendant around your neck.

Proverbs 3:1-4
My son, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments; / for they will add length to your days, years and peace to your life. / Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. ...

Proverbs 4:1-4
Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding. / For I give you sound teaching; do not abandon my directive. / When I was a son to my father, tender and the only child of my mother, ...

Proverbs 7:1-3
My son, keep my words and treasure my commandments within you. / Keep my commandments and live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. / Tie them to your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.

Matthew 15:4
For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’

Mark 7:10
For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’

Luke 18:20
You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother.’”

2 Timothy 3:14-15
But as for you, continue in the things you have learned and firmly believed, since you know from whom you have learned them. / From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 119:9-11
How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your word. / With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me stray from Your commandments. / I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.

Psalm 119:105
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Isaiah 38:19
The living, only the living, can thank You, as I do today; fathers will tell their children about Your faithfulness.


Treasury of Scripture

My son, keep your father's commandment, and forsake not the law of your mother:

Proverbs 1:8,9
My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother: …

Proverbs 7:1-4
My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee…

Proverbs 23:22
Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.

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Command Commandment Commands Father's Forsake Law Memory Mother Mother's Observe Rule Teaching
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Proverbs 6
1. against indebtedness
6. idleness
12. and mischievousness
16. seven things detestable to God
20. the blessings of obedience
25. the mischief of unfaithfulness














My son
This phrase is a tender and personal address, indicating a relationship of care and authority. In Hebrew, "בְּנִי" (beni) is used, which is a term of endearment and instruction. It reflects the familial context in which wisdom is often passed down, emphasizing the importance of the family unit in the transmission of moral and spiritual values. The use of "my son" suggests a personal investment in the well-being and moral development of the listener, highlighting the relational aspect of wisdom.

keep
The Hebrew word "שָׁמַר" (shamar) means to guard, protect, or observe. It implies an active and diligent effort to preserve something valuable. In the context of this verse, it suggests that the commandments given by the father are precious and require careful attention and adherence. This word conveys the idea of vigilance and intentionality in maintaining the teachings and principles imparted by one's parents.

your father’s commandment
The term "commandment" in Hebrew is "מִצְוָה" (mitzvah), which refers to a directive or ordinance. It is often associated with divine laws and instructions, underscoring the authority and weight of the father's guidance. In a broader biblical context, this reflects the patriarchal role in spiritual leadership and the expectation that fathers impart godly wisdom and instruction to their children. The father's commandment is not merely a suggestion but a binding directive meant to guide the son in righteous living.

and do not forsake
The phrase "do not forsake" comes from the Hebrew "אַל־תִּטֹּשׁ" (al-titosh), which means to abandon or neglect. It carries a strong admonition against disregarding or turning away from something important. This phrase emphasizes the necessity of remaining steadfast and committed to the teachings received, warning against the dangers of neglect and the potential consequences of straying from wise counsel.

your mother’s teaching
The word "teaching" in Hebrew is "תוֹרָה" (torah), which is often translated as "law" or "instruction." It signifies a body of guidance or doctrine meant to direct one's life. The inclusion of the mother's teaching highlights the complementary roles of both parents in the moral and spiritual education of their children. It acknowledges the mother's influence and wisdom, affirming the value of her contributions to the child's upbringing. This phrase underscores the holistic approach to wisdom, where both paternal and maternal insights are integral to a well-rounded understanding of righteous living.

Verses 20-35. - 12. Twelfth admonitory discourse. In this the teacher returns again to the subject which he has already treated in the eighth discourse. The extreme tendency of men, and especially young men, to sins of impurity is no doubt, as Delitzsch remarks, the reason why this subject is again resumed. The subject is gradually worked up to the preceding admonitions in vers. 20-23, pointing out that the way of life, the way of safety, is to be secured by obedience to the precepts of parents, whose commandment and law illumine the perilous road of life, and whose reproofs are salutary to the soul. The arguments against the sin of adultery are cogent in their dissuasiveness, and none stronger of a purely temporal nature could be devised. It may be objected that the sin is not put forward in the higher light, as an offence before God. and that the appeal is made simply on the lines of self-interest; but who will deny that the scope of the teaching is distinctly moral, or that mankind is not influenced and dissuaded from sin by such a category of evils as includes personal beggary, dishonour, and death? Verse 20. - The first part of this verse is couched in almost the same terms as that of Proverbs 1:8, except that mitz'rath, "precept," preceptum, is here used instead of musar, eruditio, or "disciplinary instruction," while the latter part of the two verses are identical.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
My son,
בְּ֭נִי (bə·nî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 1121: A son

keep
נְצֹ֣ר (nə·ṣōr)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 5341: To watch, guard, keep

your father’s
אָבִ֑יךָ (’ā·ḇî·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 1: Father

commandment,
מִצְוַ֣ת (miṣ·waṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 4687: Commandment

and do not
וְאַל־ (wə·’al-)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 408: Not

forsake
תִּ֝טֹּ֗שׁ (tiṭ·ṭōš)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 5203: To pound, smite, to disperse, to thrust off, down, out, upon

your mother’s
אִמֶּֽךָ׃ (’im·me·ḵā)
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 517: A mother, )

teaching.
תּוֹרַ֥ת (tō·w·raṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 8451: Direction, instruction, law


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 6:20 My son keep your father's commandment (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 6:19
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