“My child!
Keep your father’s commandment!
Do not forsake your mother’s teaching!
Bind them upon your heart always!
Tie them around your neck!
When you walk,
They will lead you.
When you lie down,
They will watch over you.
When you awake,
They will talk with you.
The commandment is a lamp.
The teaching is a light.
The reproofs of discipline are the way of life.”
Now we are back at parental advice and the importance of fatherly commandments and motherly teachings. The opening phrases are a repeat from chapters 1 and 3 of these Proverbs. You were to keep these commandments in your heart. You were to tie them around your neck. Thus whenever you were walking, these teachings would lead you. When you would lie down, these teachings would watch over you. When you were awake, these teachings would speak with you. These commandments would be a constant reminder in your life, whether you were awake or not, whether you were moving or not. The paternal commandment was like a lamp, while the maternal teaching was like a light. Both of them lit up your life. They provided you the corrective discipline to guide you in your way of life.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 