word for teaching is torah (תּוֹרָה, tôrāh), which means “law” or “instruction.” The sons are to heed the parents’ torah. In Proverbs, the primary place where moral instruction takes place is in the home. 4:3–4a The implication of the phrase still tender, and an only child of my mother is that education began early (v. 3). Israelite families believed that parents could not begin too early in instilling fundamental principles for successful living (e.g., Deut 6:1–9). 4:4b–9 The speaker quotes his