Proverbs 17:21 - Exposition

He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow (comp. Proverbs 17:25 ). The words for "fool" in the two clauses are different. Here it is kesil, which implies bold, self-confident folly, the worst form of the vies; in the second hemistich it is nabal, which rather denotes dulness and stupidity, a want of mental power. A conceited, offensive fool causes infinite trouble to his father, both from his need of constant correction, and the watchfulness required to repair the consequences of his foolish actions. There is also the grief at seeing instruction and warning thrown away on a worthless object. Septuagint, "The heart of a fool is a pain to him who possesseth it." The father of a fool hath no joy. The contrast in the ease of a good son is seen in Proverbs 15:20 and Proverbs 23:24 . The LXX . adds a clause from Proverbs 10:1 , with the view of improving the parallelism, "But a prudent son rejoiceth his mother."