Proverbs 13:1
Wisdom listens to correction, but mockery refuses it.
1 A wise son listens to his father’s instruction, but a scoffer doesn’t listen to rebuke.
Wisdom listens to correction, but mockery refuses it.
To contrast the teachability of wisdom with the stubborn rejection of correction that characterizes the mocker.
Proverbs 13:1 begins a sequence of short sayings that continue the recurring father-to-son instruction pattern used throughout Proverbs. The verse sets a contrast between two postures: the wise learner who receives discipline and the scoffer who rejects reproof. In the flow of the book, this functions as a heart-level diagnostic for whether a person is oriented toward wisdom or entrenched in folly. The saying assumes that correction is a normal instrument of formation rather than merely a punitive measure. It also highlights the relational setting in which wisdom is often imparted—through parental instruction and broader God-given authority. The immediate context transitions from the life-giving path of righteousness (12:28) into practical outcomes of speech and conduct in the surrounding sayings (13:2 and onward).
Proverbs functions as covenant-shaped wisdom instruction for God’s people, often framed as parental teaching to a son, aiming at character formation through disciplined learning and reproof.
Instruction, Speech, Desire, Wealth, and the Way of the Wise
Wisdom receives instruction, guards speech, walks with the wise, handles desire and wealth patiently, and embraces loving discipline, while folly rejects correction and reaps ruin, shame, and hunger.