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Proverbs

About this book
Chapter 13

1 A wise son accepts his father’s discipline, but a scoffer has never listened to rebuke. 2 From the fruit of his speech a person eats good things, but the treacherous desire the fruit of violence. 3 The one who guards his words guards his life; whoever is talkative will come to ruin. 4 The appetite of the sluggard craves but gets nothing, but the desire of the diligent will be abundantly satisfied. 5 The righteous person will reject anything false, but the wicked person will act in shameful disgrace. 6 Righteousness guards the one who lives with integrity, but wickedness overthrows the sinner. 7 There is one who pretends to be rich and yet has nothing; another pretends to be poor and yet possesses great wealth. 8 The ransom of a person’s life is his wealth, thus the poor person has never heard a threat. 9 The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked goes out.⁠ 10 With pride comes only contention, but wisdom is with the well-advised. 11 Wealth gained quickly will dwindle away, but the one who gathers it little by little will become rich. 12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is like a tree of life. 13 The one who despises instruction will pay the penalty, but whoever esteems direction will be rewarded. 14 Instruction from the wise is like a life-giving fountain, to turn a person from deadly snares. 15 Keen insight wins favor, but the conduct of the treacherous ends in destruction. 16 Every shrewd person acts with knowledge, but a fool displays his folly. 17 An unreliable messenger falls into trouble, but a faithful envoy brings healing. 18 The one who neglects discipline ends up in poverty and shame, but the one who accepts reproof is honored. 19 A desire fulfilled will be sweet to the soul, but fools abhor turning away from evil. 20 The one who associates with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. 21 Calamity pursues sinners, but prosperity rewards the righteous. 22 A good person leaves an inheritance for his grandchildren, but the wealth of a sinner is stored up for the righteous. 23 Abundant food may come from the field of the poor, but it is swept away by injustice. 24 The one who spares his rod hates his child, but the one who loves his child is diligent in disciplining him.⁠ 25 The righteous has enough food to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the wicked will be empty.

Texts in conversation

Compare Proverbs 13:24 and Sirach 22:6

Hebrew Bible · Deuterocanon

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Summary

Proverbs emphasizes a positive reflection on discipline, using the image of the rod to stress correction as a sign of devotion. Sirach takes this further, presenting discipline itself as a form of wisdom that shapes character and understanding.

Passages

Proverbs 13:24

Hebrew Bible
22 A good person leaves an inheritance for his grandchildren, but the wealth of a sinner is stored up for the righteous. 23 Abundant food may come from the field of the poor, but it is swept away by injustice. 24 The one who spares his rod hates his child, but the one who loves his child is diligent in disciplining him. 25 The righteous has enough food to satisfy his appetite, but the belly of the wicked will be empty.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Proverbs

Sirach 22:6

Deuterocanon · Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
4 A prudent daughter will inherit a husband of her own. She who brings shame is the grief of her father. 5 She who is arrogant brings shame on father and husband. She will be despised by both of them. 6 Ill-timed conversation is like music in mourning, but whipping and correction are wisdom in every season. 9 He who teaches a fool is like one who glues potsherds together, even like one who wakes a sleeper out of a deep sleep. 10 He who teaches a fool is as one who teaches a man who slumbers. In the end he will say, “What is it?”
195–180 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Sirach

References

"... “My son/child, do not forget my teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments” – this is how Proverbs 3 begins with the first verse. In verse 11, “my son/ child” is addressed, anew. The Hebrew text uses the word מוסר in verse 11a ... where it means “to instruct.” There are just as few evidences of it in the Nifal with the meaning of “to let oneself be instructed / taught.” The majority of the evidences of the verb are in the Piel, where it mainly means “to chasten, to rebuke.” The meaning of “to instruct, to educate” is found three times, as is the meaning of “to guide.” Köhler/Baumgartner mainly translate the noun מוסר with “chastisement / discipline” (as in Proverbs 3:11), and in some passages, they translate with “admonition / warning.” In this context, physical chastisement plays an important role: “Those who spare the rod hate their children, but those who love them are diligent to discipline them” (Proverbs 13:24). “Discipline your children while there is hope; do not set your heart on their destruction” (Proverbs 19:18). “Folly is bound up in the heart of a boy, but the rod of discipline drives it far away” (Proverbs 22:15). In Proverbs 23:13, it similarly says: “Do not withhold discipline from your children; if you beat them with a rod, they will not die. If you beat them with the rod, you will save their lives from Sheol” (Compare Proverbs 29:1, 17). In Sirach 22:6, a rigorous education is linked to wisdom: “A whipping and discipline are wisdom at any time” (compare Sirach 30:1f.; Psalms of Solomon 3:2; 13:9) ..."
Wolfgang Kraus, “'Whom the Lord Loveth He Chasteneth': About the Adoption of Prov 3:11f. in Hebr 12:5f,” in Septuagint, Sages, and Scripture: Studies in Honour of Johann Cook, ed. Randall X. Gauthier, Gideon R. Kotze, and Gert J. Steyn, VTSup 172 (Leiden: Brill, 2016), 323–335.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Proverbs 13:24 and Sirach 22:6

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