--- title: "Proverbs 13 - Study King James Bible with preachers complete homiletical commentary" description: "Read Proverbs 13 with preachers complete homiletical commentary commentary. 1 A wise son heareth his father’s instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke. 2 A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the tra" image: "/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg" url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/preachers-complete-homiletical-commentary/proverbs/13" --- [ Read](/kjv/proverbs/13)[ Commentary](/study/proverbs/13)[ Interlinear](/interlinear/proverbs/13) Audio 1 A wise son *heareth* his father’s instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke. 2 A man shall eat good by the fruit of *his* mouth: but the soul of the transgressors *shall eat* violence. 3 He that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life: *but* he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction. 4 The soul of the sluggard desireth, and *hath* nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat. 5 A righteous *man* hateth lying: but a wicked *man* is loathsome, and cometh to shame. 6 Righteousness keepeth *him that is* upright in the way: but wickedness overthroweth the sinner.* 7 There is that maketh himself rich, yet *hath* nothing: *there is* that maketh himself poor, yet *hath* great riches. 8 The ransom of a man’s life *are* his riches: but the poor heareth not rebuke. 9 The light of the righteous rejoiceth: but the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.* 10 Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised *is* wisdom. 11 Wealth *gotten* by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase.* 12 Hope deferred maketh the heart sick: but *when* the desire cometh, *it is* a tree of life. 13 Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.* 14 The law of the wise *is* a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death. 15 Good understanding giveth favour: but the way of transgressors *is* hard. 16 Every prudent *man* dealeth with knowledge: but a fool layeth open *his* folly.* 17 A wicked messenger falleth into mischief: but a faithful ambassador *is* health.* 18 Poverty and shame *shall be to* him that refuseth instruction: but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured. 19 The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul: but *it is* abomination to fools to depart from evil. 20 He that walketh with wise *men* shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.* 21 Evil pursueth sinners: but to the righteous good shall be repayed. 22 A good *man* leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children: and the wealth of the sinner *is* laid up for the just. 23 Much food *is in* the tillage of the poor: but there is *that is* destroyed for want of judgment. 24 He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes. 25 The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want. [Proverbs 12](/study/proverbs/12) [Proverbs 14](/study/proverbs/14) ## Commentary To verse 1 CRITICAL NOTES.— **[Proverbs 13:1](/kjv/proverbs/13/1)****. Instruction**, or “correction.” The Hebrew is literally, “a wise son *is* his father’s correction,” *i.e.*, is the product of his father’s correction; or “heareth” may be supplied to correspond to the verb in the second clause. *MAIN HOMILETICS OF**[Proverbs 13:1](/kjv/proverbs/13/1)* THE WISE SON AND THE SCORNER **I. A condition implied**. That the father who gives the instruction, or administers correction, is a *wise father*. There are many fathers who are incapable of instructing their children in the right way, because they do not walk in it themselves. The “father” of these proverbs is always pre-supposed to be one who is himself morally wise—one whose life is a practical exposition of the good instruction which he gives. The father who can only instruct with his *lips*, but not with his *life*, cannot expect to command respect and obedience. He is like a man who tries to save a vessel from sinking by baling out the water in bucketfuls, while he leaves the great leak-hole unplugged. All that which is *done* is more than neutralised by what is left *undone*. If a physician prescribes a certain medicine for a disease from which he is suffering himself, but for which he refuses to take the remedy, he will find that his patients will think, if they do not say, “Physician, heal thyself.” And children will not be slow to see if a father’s practice fails to endorse a father’s precept. **II. He who takes the advice of a morally wise father shows himself to be wise also**. The greatest proof of wisdom is a willingness to learn of those who know more than we do. Other things being equal, a father must know more than a son, and the son who hears his instruction, and submits to his discipline, ot only uses the means by which to become wise, but shows that he is already wise enough to use the right means to attain a desirable end. Christians are the sons of God, if they are wise sons they will hear the instructions of their Father. They show their wisdom in proportion as they submit cheerfully to His discipline as to that of the “Only wise God” ([1 Timothy 1:17](/kjv/1-timothy/1/17)). **III. He who will not listen to parental rebuke is in the last degree a sinner**. We understand the last clause of this verse to refer likewise to a father and son. Parental instruction and correction are God’s ordained and special methods of training a human soul. There are many reasons why a parent’s rebuke should be regarded, if that of strangers is not listened to (see Homiletics on chap. [Proverbs 4:1](/kjv/proverbs/4/1); [Proverbs 4:4](/kjv/proverbs/4/4), p. 53). He who disregards *that* must be considered in as hopeless a case as he who scuttles the lifeboat sent to save him. When the word of a good father or mother is not obeyed it is practically *scorned*, and a scorner is the most hopeless of sinners. *OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS* The language of this verse is capable of two meanings: either that hearing instruction and not hearing reproof are the effect and manifestation, respectively, of a wise or a scornful mind; this wise son showing himself to be so by “hearing his father’s instructions,” and the scorner showing himself to be so by “not hearing rebuke,” or (reversing cause and effect), that wisdom and scorning are the results, respectively, of hearing or not hearing instruction and rebuke. In other words—“*The son that is instructed by his father turns out to be wise; he who receives no correction turns out a fool*.” In the first of the two senses the admonition is chiefly to *children*—in the second, to *parents*.—*Wardlaw*. Piety is the fruit of training. If a man is a believer, it is a sign he has had believing nurture; and if a scorner, it is a sign he has had “*no rebuke*.” This text reiterates the promise made to the training of a child. To treat it as in our English version is simply to evolve a truism, and might do very well, grammatically, if the verb were future, and not perfect. The idea embraces the solemn lesson, that Christians are not to be made without training.—*Miller*. Or heareth and jeereth; as Lot’s sons-in-law, as Eli’s sons, and afterwards Samuel’s. Samuel succeeds Eli in his cross, as well as in his place, though not in his sin of indulgence. God will show that grace is by gift, and not by inheritance or education.—*Trapp*. There is in the conscience of the scorner a hidden discouragement, and privy despair, both of pardon of his sinfulness, and possibility to leave it: and that doth exasperate him against such as shall be dealing with it. Who is willing to have his wound laid open to his disgrace and torment, when he taketh it to be altogether incurable?—*Dod*. ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com","name":"Real Bible Believers","description":"RBB","publisher":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/search?q={search_term_string}","query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/preachers-complete-homiletical-commentary/proverbs/13#primaryimage","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/_app/immutable/assets/missing.C7wGMEZ6.jpg","width":672,"height":448,"caption":"Real Bible Believers"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/preachers-complete-homiletical-commentary/proverbs/13#webpage","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/preachers-complete-homiletical-commentary/proverbs/13","name":"Proverbs 13 - Study King James Bible with preachers complete homiletical commentary","isPartOf":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/preachers-complete-homiletical-commentary/proverbs/13#primaryimage"},"author":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509"},"description":"Read Proverbs 13 with preachers complete homiletical commentary commentary. 1 A wise son heareth his father’s instruction: but a scorner heareth not rebuke. 2 A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth: but the soul of the tra","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/preachers-complete-homiletical-commentary/proverbs/13#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/preachers-complete-homiletical-commentary/proverbs/13"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/preachers-complete-homiletical-commentary/proverbs/13#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/","name":"Home"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study","name":"Study Bible"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/preachers-complete-homiletical-commentary","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/preachers-complete-homiletical-commentary","name":"preachers complete homiletical commentary"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/preachers-complete-homiletical-commentary/proverbs","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/preachers-complete-homiletical-commentary/proverbs","name":"Proverbs"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"item":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/preachers-complete-homiletical-commentary/proverbs/13","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/study/preachers-complete-homiletical-commentary/proverbs/13","name":"13"}}]},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#/schema/person/e966585dde703268e7f6ae890ea98509","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo","inLanguage":"en-US","url":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","contentUrl":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/android-chrome-512x512.png","width":512,"height":512},"logo":{"@id":"https://realbiblebelievers.com/#personlogo"},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/RBiblebeliever","https://www.facebook.com/RBibleBelievers"]}]} ```