I like the way this proverb starts.
My son …
Remember, in the introduction to Proverbs, King Solomon said he wanted to give prudence to the simple and knowledge and discretion to the young man. How fitting it is then to address his audience as “my son.” If taken as the scripted word of God, one could imagine God Himself saying to each of us, “My son.” The proverb was intended as a gentle exhortation from an older man, a father figure, to a younger man; however, everyone can benefit from its message.
Solomon’s Wise Exhortation
The exhortation is plain and simple:
hear the instruction of your father,
And do not forsake the law of your mother;
This echoes the fifth commandment to honor your father and mother, the first commandment with a promise. And remember, all of God’s promises can be tested.
So the king of Israel, the wisest man on earth, exhorts the young men to hear their fathers’ instructions and do not forsake “the law of your mother.” What do these two phrases actually mean?
Hear the instruction of your father
In verse 8, the wise king uses the Hebrew word šə·ma’ for the word “hear,” but it means so much more than the technical and mechanical action of hearing with the physical ear. It is more akin to “listening and obeying.” In modern parlance, we would say active listening as opposed to passive listening. In other words, it’s a type of listening that coincides with taking a message to heart and acting appropriately upon it. It’s the same type of listening that Jesus was hinting at when he said “He who has ears, let him hear.” He was referring to spiritual ears.
Do not forsake the law of your mother
It’s interesting that Solomon refers to “the law of your mother” when it was God who gave the Law, the Mosaic law, to Israel. Of course, I’m not inferring from this that God is a male deity (as if there were such a thing). I’m simply saying that we often think of the Mosaic law as patriarchal in nature, but that’s a communal assumption.
The Hebrew word used in this context is tō·w·raṯ. The corresponding Strong’s Concordance word is torah, which literally means “instruction” or “law.” The New American Standard translates it as “teaching,” which is closer to the real intent of the message.
One reason Solomon may have used the word “law” in connection with one’s mother could be because the word torah is a feminine noun. Hebrew is one of the few languages that distinguishes nouns by gender, and they are identified by the end strokes of the written word. Another reason for association “law” with the motherly element could be the literary structure of Proverbs. Frequently throughout the book, Solomon contrasts two opposing forces or ideas, and he does it frequently with male and female, mother and father, etc. In parallel form, he instructs his readers to listen to the instruction of their father and, by the way, do not forsake the instruction of your mother either. In other words, honor your father and your mother.
This should fly in the face of any notion that God thinks more highly of one gender or another. Feminists often criticize the God of Christianity as patriarchal. He is not. We have made Him that way. The Gaia worshipers refer to the Almighty, “the mother of all life” as female. God is neither male nor female. The masculine language used to refer to God in scripture is simply a limitation imposed by that language, which was invented by men.
So the clear meaning of Proverbs 1: 8 is to listen to and heed the teachings of your parents. This is an injunction for all ages and should not be forsaken—that is, abandoned. Those who obey this teaching may live long and prosper.
A Graceful Ornament and Chains
Who doesn’t want a chain about their neck?
This is where comparing different translations can be helpful. The King James and the New King James, along with several other translations use the word “chains,” but the Berean Study Bible substitutes the word “pendants” while the New American Standard uses “ornaments.” I think the NAS is the best translation. The Hebrew word here is wa·‘ă·nā·qîm. The corresponding Strong’s word is anaq, which literally means “a necklace” or “neck pendant.”
In certain cultures, chains around the neck were worn as ornaments. In other cultures, chains are often thought of as binding instruments, used to keep slaves or prisoners perpetually in bondage. This is how the Apostle Paul uses the word in Ephesians when he refers to himself as an “ambassador in chains.”
Of course, Paul wrote Ephesians from prison, so he literally was in chains. On the other hand, he calls freemen slaves of Christ in 1 Corinthians. Metaphorically, then, Paul’s literal chains were an instrument of peace for the sake of the gospel.
Likewise, Proverbs 1:9 is a dual metaphor.
For they will be a graceful ornament on your head,
And chains about your neck.
Again, he relies on the literary technique of parallelism to draw the same conclusion and portray the same image with regard to heeding the instructions of one’s parents. They, he says, (referring to the instructions of your father and your mother) will be ornaments on your head and your neck. That is, if you heed them, they will serve you well all of your life.
This exhortation is not to be taken literally in all circumstances. The proverb is true so long as the instruction fathers and mothers give their children coincide with the mindful intent of God. The Israelites had the law of Moses, a tutor that pointed the way to Christ, and we today have the law of Christ, which sets us free from the law of sin and death.
Fathers and mothers, teach your children to follow the Lord, but do so yourself first. Children, listen to your parents’ instruction as you follow the Lord. Love everyone else as you love yourself.
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.
Taken from the Berean Study Bible.
Allen Taylor is the founder and publisher of Crux Publications. He has been walking (and wavering) with the Lord for 28 years. He has served local churches as a Sunday school teacher, a small group leader, a worship leader, a prayer group leader, and a minister of the Word. His journey isn’t over yet, and he still needs discipling.
“I am Not the King” is a personal testimony of how Jesus Christ has worked in my life. It is available at Amazon and Smashwords.