Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.
Proverbs is a book of ancient wisdom, largely written as a father instructing his son on how to live a good and honorable life. This verse comes at the end of a long section of moral guidance and is essentially a blessing wrapped in a motivation: when you live wisely and with integrity, you bring deep joy to your parents. The phrase 'she who gave you birth' is a tender reference to a mother's unique investment in a child's life. The verse doesn't demand obedience out of obligation — it paints a picture of what flourishing actually looks like, and how it ripples outward to the people who loved you first.
Father, thank you for the people who gave me life and believed in me before I knew who I was. Help me live in a way that honors that love — not out of pressure, but out of genuine gratitude. Let my life be a quiet, steady source of joy to those around me. Amen.
Think about the last time someone told your parent something good about you — not a trophy or a grade, but something about your character. The way you showed up for a friend at their worst. The integrity you held when cutting a corner would have been so easy. Proverbs is deeply practical, and this verse is less a command than an invitation: your life can be someone's reason to smile. The writer understood that we don't live in isolation — our choices ripple outward into the hearts of those who poured themselves into us. This verse might feel tender, even painful, if your relationship with your parents is complicated or broken. Maybe a parent is gone, and these words carry a sharp edge. But there's another layer worth sitting with: the people who invested in you are still watching, still hoping, still praying — whether that's a parent, a mentor, or someone who believed in you before you believed in yourself. How you live is a kind of answer to that love. What kind of answer are you giving right now?
What connection does this verse draw between personal wisdom and the joy of others — and why do you think the writer chose parents specifically as the example?
When you think about the people who raised or invested in you, what kind of life do you think would make them genuinely proud — and is that the life you are actually living?
This verse ties your personal choices to someone else's emotional wellbeing. Do you find that motivating or burdensome — and where do you think the healthy line is between living for others' approval and living with integrity?
How does the way you conduct your daily life — your words, your habits, your treatment of people no one is watching — affect those closest to you, whether family or chosen community?
Is there one specific area of your character you want to grow in this week — not for applause, but because it is the right thing? What is one concrete step you can take?
Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Exodus 20:12
The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.
Proverbs 10:1
He that wasteth his father, and chaseth away his mother, is a son that causeth shame, and bringeth reproach.
Proverbs 19:26
But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it.
Luke 11:28
And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
Luke 1:31
My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth me.
Proverbs 27:11
And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.
1 Chronicles 4:10
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Luke 1:47
Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her who gave birth to you rejoice [in your wise and godly choices].
AMP
Let your father and mother be glad; let her who bore you rejoice.
ESV
Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her rejoice who gave birth to you.
NASB
May your father and mother be glad; may she who gave you birth rejoice!
NIV
Let your father and your mother be glad, And let her who bore you rejoice.
NKJV
So give your father and mother joy! May she who gave you birth be happy.
NLT
So make your father happy! Make your mother proud!
MSG