“Audi, fili mi, disciplinam patris tui, et ne dimittas legem matris tuæ :”
“My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:”
“Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.”
“My son, listen to your father’s instruction, and don’t forsake your mother’s teaching:”
“My son, hear the instruction of thy father, And forsake not the law of thy mother:”
Mother. The first precept is to learn of our elders, and the second to resist evil counsels, ver. 10. (Worthington) — Our parents have the greatest influence over us. Solomon presupposes that they are virtuous and well informed. (Calmet)
II. Let them have regard to their parents as their superiors (v. 8, 9): My son, hear the instruction of thy father. He means, not only that he would have his own children to be observant of him, and of what he said to them, nor only that he would have his pupils, and those who came to him to be taught, to look upon him as their father and attend to his precepts with the disposition of children, but that he would have all children to be dutiful and respectful to their parents, and to conform to the virtuous and religious education which they give them, according to the law of the fifth commandment.
Verses 7-9 Fools are persons who have no true wisdom, who follow their own devices, without regard to reason, or reverence for God. Children are reasonable creatures, and when we tell them what they must do, we must tell them why. But they are corrupt and wilful, therefore with the instruction there is need of a law. Let Divine truths and commands be to us most honourable; let us value them, and then they shall be so to us.