Patience and Poverty
He who assaults his father or evicts his mother is a son who brings shame and disgrace. Proverbs 19:26 · Berean Standard Bible
Dishonoring your parents—whether by attacking them or kicking them out—brings shame on yourself and shows what kind of person you've become.
In ancient culture, family obligations weren't optional suggestions; they were foundational to society. A son who abused or abandoned his parents was seen as someone who had fundamentally broken faith with the people who gave him life. This wasn't just about hurting two people; it was about breaking the social order.
The wisdom tradition, grounded in the law itself (remember the command to honor father and mother) and in observed reality about what such behavior does to a person's character.
Honoring parents is woven through Scripture from the Ten Commandments onward. Even Jesus on the cross made sure His mother was cared for. It's not just a nice idea; it's foundational to how God designed human relationships to work.
A son who violently mistreats his father or drives away his mother commits the gravest filial betrayal, bringing shame upon himself and his household. This verse encodes the commandment to honor parents as fundamental to social stability.
The Hebrew verbs *hikkâ* (strikes) and *gāraš* (expels/evicts) evoke extreme violence and abandonment. In ancient Near Eastern societies, where aged parents depended upon filial care for survival and where family honor was paramount, such conduct was nearly unthinkable—yet apparently common enough to warrant solemn warning. The doubled consequence (*bôšet weḵlimmâ*—shame and disgrace) suggests communal ostracism: the perpetrator becomes disgraced not merely before God but before society itself.
The wisdom teacher, likely drawing on the Decalogue tradition (Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16) and embedding that commandment within consequentialist wisdom reasoning—you will be shamed.
This verse crystallizes the fifth commandment and its promise ('that your days may be long'). Jesus will invoke filial duty even from the cross (John 19:26-27), and Paul will recall Exodus 20:12 in Ephesians 6:2-3 as 'the first commandment with a promise.' The proverb grounds what could be merely law in observable social reality: those who dishonor parents forfeit honor themselves.
24The slacker buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth.
25Strike a mocker, and the simple will beware; rebuke the discerning man, and he will gain knowledge.
26He who assaults his father or evicts his mother is a son who brings shame and disgrace.
27If you cease to hear instruction, my son, you will stray from the words of knowledge.
28A corrupt witness mocks justice, and a wicked mouth swallows iniquity.
Read all of Proverbs 19 — A person's wisdom yields patience. Better to be poor and walk in integrity than to be rich and crooked.
This page covers one. BibleKey does all 31,102 — tap any verse for its meaning, any word for its Hebrew or Greek root, and keep reading without leaving the chapter.
Not just the famous ones. BibleKey is free on iPhone and iPad.
Download on the App StoreFree on iPhone & iPad