Proverbs 17:6

Children's children [are] the crown of old men,.... Ancient parents. Grandfathers with the Jews are called old men, as Buxtorf (d) observes.

Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.

The crown of old men; their honour and happiness, because they are in themselves blessings of God, and testimonies of God’ s favour, although sometimes they may become the shame of their father’ s house. Their fathers; namely, such fathers as are wise and godly, as is evident from the nature of the thing, for wicked parents bring infamy upon their children.

Proverbs 17:6 Children’ s children [are] the crown of old men; and the glory of children [are] their fathers. Ver. 6. Children’ s children are the crown of old men.] That is, if they be not children those who "cause shame," as Proverbs 17:2, and who disgrace their ancestors - stain their blood; if they obey their parents’ counsel and follow their good example; for otherwise they prove not crowns, but corrosives, to their aged sires, as did Esau, Absalom, Andronicus, and others. And the glory of children are their parents.] If those children so well descended do not degenerate, as Jonathan the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh - or rather of Moses, as the Hebrews read it with a nun suspensum - and as Eli’ s, Samuel’ s, and some of David’ s sons did. Heroum filii noxae. Manasseh had a good father, but he degenerated into his grandfather Ahaz, as if there had been no intervention of a Hezekiah. So we have seen the kernel of a well-fruited plant degenerate into that crab or willow that gave the original to his stock. But what an honour was it to Jacob that he could swear "by the fear of his father Isaac!" - to David, that he could, in a real and heavenly compliment, say to his Maker, "Truly, Lord, I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thy handmaid!" - to Timothy, that the same faith that was in him had dwelt first "in his grandmother Lois, and his mother Eunice!" - to the children of the elect lady! &c. - to Mark, that he was Barnabas’ s sister’ s son! - to Alexander and Rufus, men mentioned only, Mark 15:21, but famously known in the Church to be the sons of Simon of Cyrene! - to the sons of Constantine the Great, to come of such a father, whom they did wholly put on, saith Eusebius, and exactly resemble! - to be descended of those glorious martyrs and confessors that suffered here in Queen Mary’ s days! ολονενεδυσαντοτο Kονσταντιν. - Euseb.

(6) Children’s children are the crown of old men.—Comp. Psalms 127, 128. The glory of children are their fathers.—And, as such, to be honoured by them. For the blessing which parents bring to children, comp. 1 Kings 11:13; 1 Kings 15:4; Jeremiah 33:21.

6. “A beautiful family picture of linked and mutually blessed “generations.” Horton.

The reciprocity of good in sustained family relationships. A long line of children’s children is the glory of old age, a long line of ancestors the glory of their descendants.

6. Crown of old men — He has had an illustration of this proverb who has met, as the writer has, a venerable patriarch, honoured both for his piety and his intelligence, who counted his children,