The Meaning of Proverbs 1:8 Explained

Proverbs 1:8

KJV: My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

YLT: Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother,

Darby: Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother;

ASV: My son, hear the instruction of thy father, And forsake not the law of thy mother:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

My son,  hear  the instruction  of thy father,  and forsake  not the law  of thy mother: 

What does Proverbs 1:8 Mean?

Context Summary

Proverbs 1:1-19 - "the Beginning Of Knowledge"
Notice the perfect balance of each clause, and the duplication of the one thought in the two clauses of each verse.
Wisdom as used in this book is more than intellectual learning or cleverness. It represents a moral quality, the result of a pure and a true life. We are conscious that many simple-minded people, who have little enough book-learning, are remarkable for sagacious advice, insight into character, the wise reading of events, an intuitive knowledge-all based on the fear of God. The headlines of Scotch copy-books used to be taken from this book. Certain it is that the young who ponder and practice these maxims can hardly fail of a successful career. [source]

Chapter Summary: Proverbs 1

1  The use of the proverbs
7  An exhortation to fear God, and believe his word
10  to avoid the enticing of sinners
20  Wisdom complains of her contempt
24  She threatens her contemners

What do the individual words in Proverbs 1:8 mean?

Hear My son the instruction of your father and not do forsake the law of your mother
שְׁמַ֣ע בְּ֭נִי מוּסַ֣ר אָבִ֑יךָ וְאַל־ תִּ֝טֹּ֗שׁ תּוֹרַ֥ת אִמֶּֽךָ

שְׁמַ֣ע  Hear 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
בְּ֭נִי  My  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
מוּסַ֣ר  the  instruction 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מוּסָר  
Sense: discipline, chastening, correction.
אָבִ֑יךָ  of  your  father 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
וְאַל־  and  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: אַל  
Sense: not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference).
תִּ֝טֹּ֗שׁ  do  forsake 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: נָטַשׁ  
Sense: to leave, permit, forsake, cast off or away, reject, suffer, join, spread out or abroad, be loosed, cease, abandon, quit, hang loose, cast down, make a raid, lie fallow, let fall, forgo, draw.
תּוֹרַ֥ת  the  law 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: תֹּורָה  
Sense: law, direction, instruction.
אִמֶּֽךָ  of  your  mother 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אֵם  
Sense: mother.