Proverbs 17:21
New International Version
To have a fool for a child brings grief; there is no joy for the parent of a godless fool.

New Living Translation
It is painful to be the parent of a fool; there is no joy for the father of a rebel.

English Standard Version
He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow, and the father of a fool has no joy.

Berean Standard Bible
A man fathers a fool to his own grief; the father of a fool has no joy.

King James Bible
He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow: and the father of a fool hath no joy.

New King James Version
He who begets a scoffer does so to his sorrow, And the father of a fool has no joy.

New American Standard Bible
He who fathers a fool does so to his sorrow, And the father of a fool has no joy.

NASB 1995
He who sires a fool does so to his sorrow, And the father of a fool has no joy.

NASB 1977
He who begets a fool does so to his sorrow, And the father of a fool has no joy.

Legacy Standard Bible
He who begets a fool does so to his grief, And the father of a wicked fool is not glad.

Amplified Bible
He who becomes the parent of a fool [who is spiritually blind] does so to his sorrow, And the father of a fool [who is spiritually blind] has no joy.

Christian Standard Bible
A man fathers a fool to his own sorrow; the father of a fool has no joy.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
A man fathers a fool to his own sorrow; the father of a fool has no joy.

American Standard Version
He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow; And the father of a fool hath no joy.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
He that begets a fool, it is to his own shame, neither will his father rejoice in him.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
and the heart of a fool is grief to its possessor. A father rejoices not over an uninstructed son; but a wise son gladdens his mother.

Contemporary English Version
It's never pleasant to be the parent of a fool and have nothing but pain.

Douay-Rheims Bible
A fool is born to his own disgrace: and even his father shall not rejoice in a fool.

English Revised Version
He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow: and the father of a fool hath no joy.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
The parent of a fool has grief, and the father of a godless fool has no joy.

Good News Translation
There is nothing but sadness and sorrow for parents whose children do foolish things.

International Standard Version
The man who fathers a fool does so to his sorrow— the father of a fool has no joy.

JPS Tanakh 1917
He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow; And the father of a churl hath no joy.

Literal Standard Version
Whoever is begetting a fool has affliction for it, | Indeed, the father of a fool does not rejoice.

Majority Standard Bible
A man fathers a fool to his own grief; the father of a fool has no joy.

New American Bible
Whoever conceives a fool has grief; the father of a numskull has no joy.

NET Bible
Whoever brings a fool into the world does so to his grief, and the father of a fool has no joy.

New Revised Standard Version
The one who begets a fool gets trouble; the parent of a fool has no joy.

New Heart English Bible
He who becomes the father of a fool grieves. The father of a fool has no joy.

Webster's Bible Translation
He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow: and the father of a fool hath no joy.

World English Bible
He who becomes the father of a fool grieves. The father of a fool has no joy.

Young's Literal Translation
Whoso is begetting a fool hath affliction for it, Yea, the father of a fool rejoiceth not.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Better a Dry Morsel in Quietness
20The one with a perverse heart finds no good, and he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble. 21A man fathers a fool to his own grief; the father of a fool has no joy. 22A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.…

Cross References
Proverbs 10:1
The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grief to his mother.

Proverbs 17:25
A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.

Proverbs 19:13
A foolish son is his father's ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping.


Treasury of Scripture

He that begets a fool does it to his sorrow: and the father of a fool has no joy.

that

Proverbs 17:25
A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him.

Proverbs 10:1
The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.

Proverbs 15:20
A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish man despiseth his mother.

hath

Proverbs 23:15,16
My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine…

2 Corinthians 2:3
And I wrote this same unto you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all.

3 John 1:4
I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.

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Affliction Begetteth Begetting Churl Fool Foolish Gets Grief Grieves Joy Rejoiceth Sires Sorrow Stupid Unwise Vile
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Proverbs 17
1. Contrasts between the Righteous and the Wicked














(21) He that begetteth a fool (khesil).--See above, on Proverbs 1:32.

The father of a fool (n?bh?l).--See above, on Proverbs 17:7.

Verse 21. - He that begetteth a fool doeth it to his sorrow (comp. ver. 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 case 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."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
A man fathers
יֹלֵ֣ד (yō·lêḏ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 3205: To bear young, to beget, medically, to act as midwife, to show lineage

a fool
כְּ֭סִיל (kə·sîl)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3684: Stupid fellow, dullard, fool

to his own grief;
לְת֣וּגָה (lə·ṯū·ḡāh)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8424: Depression, a grief

the father
אֲבִ֣י (’ă·ḇî)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1: Father

of a fool
נָבָֽל׃ (nā·ḇāl)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 5036: Foolish, senseless

has no
וְלֹֽא־ (wə·lō-)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

joy.
יִ֝שְׂמַ֗ח (yiś·maḥ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 8055: To brighten up, be, blithe, gleesome


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OT Poetry: Proverbs 17:21 He who becomes the father (Prov. Pro Pr)
Proverbs 17:20
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