The Meaning of Proverbs 6:20 Explained

Proverbs 6:20

KJV: My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

YLT: Keep, my son, the command of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother.

Darby: My son, observe thy father's commandment, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother;

ASV: My son, keep the commandment of thy father, And forsake not the law of thy mother:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

My son,  keep  thy father's  commandment,  and forsake  not the law  of thy mother: 

What does Proverbs 6:20 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Proverbs 6

1  against indebtedness
6  idleness
12  and mischievousness
16  seven things detestable to God
20  the blessings of obedience
25  the mischief of unfaithfulness

What do the individual words in Proverbs 6:20 mean?

Keep My son command of your father and not do forsake the law of your mother
נְצֹ֣ר בְּ֭נִי מִצְוַ֣ת אָבִ֑יךָ וְאַל־ תִּ֝טֹּ֗שׁ תּוֹרַ֥ת אִמֶּֽךָ

נְצֹ֣ר  Keep 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: נְצוּרִים 
Sense: to guard, watch, watch over, keep.
בְּ֭נִי  My  son 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
מִצְוַ֣ת  command 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: מִצְוָה  
Sense: commandment.
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.